The Nigeria Police have recorded a major breakthrough following the official launch of Operation Kósàyè, a joint security initiative by the Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands aimed at tackling kidnapping and violent crimes along the border communities of both states.
The operation led to the rescue of five kidnap victims less than 24 hours after they were abducted along the Ijebu-Ode–Benin Expressway. During the rescue mission, four suspected kidnappers were killed, while another escaped with gunshot wounds.
Police also arrested four additional suspected kidnappers and 84 other criminal suspects in separate operations carried out across the Lagos-Ogun corridor. Recovered items included AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, locally fabricated pistols, ammunition, mobile phones and other communication devices.
Speaking during the parade of suspects at the Police Training College in Iperu-Remo, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, explained that Operation Kósàyè, which translates to “there is no hiding place,” was initiated by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to eliminate criminal hideouts and restore security across the affected areas.
He said the operation covers communities stretching from Kara and the Long Bridge through Sagamu, Ogere and Ijebu-Ode to border areas around Ikorodu and Epe, adding that criminal camps and illegal settlements used by kidnappers had already been dismantled.
Ojajuni assured residents that there were currently no confirmed kidnap victims being held within the operation’s coverage area and urged members of the public to support security agencies with credible intelligence, especially regarding suspicious persons and individuals with gunshot injuries.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, also described the operation as a sustained campaign rather than a one-time exercise. He said the police had deployed intelligence assets, drones and other modern technologies to locate and destroy criminal camps hidden in forests along the Lagos-Ogun border.
According to him, the success achieved so far was made possible through collaboration between both state commands, the Inspector-General of Police and the support of the Lagos and Ogun State governments.
One of the rescued victims, pharmacist Usofor Amarachi, recounted that she was returning from her father’s burial in Anambra State when armed kidnappers attacked their vehicle near Ogbere. She disclosed that the abductors initially demanded ₦70 million before reducing the ransom to ₦20 million. She expressed gratitude to the police for rescuing them before any payment was made.
Another victim, Temi Faith, said the kidnappers robbed them of their cash and phones before taking them into the forest, where they were eventually rescued after police operatives engaged the criminals in a gun battle.
Farmer Jimoh Gbadamosi, who was also rescued, praised the swift intervention of the police and appealed to the Federal Government to strengthen security along the Ijebu-Ode–Benin Expressway by deploying more personnel and establishing permanent security checkpoints.
An emotional moment occurred when Mrs Blessing Nsofor, who sustained a gunshot wound but managed to escape during the attack, publicly thanked the police. She admitted that she had previously criticised the force but said the rescue operation changed her perception, describing the officers as heroes who saved her family.
The rescued victims also appealed to the government to clear dense vegetation along the expressway and restore police checkpoints to discourage future kidnapping attacks.
