Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested 43 suspects during a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in Isheri Olofin along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The operation, carried out under the ongoing Operation Kosaye, targeted an area the police said had become a safe haven for cultists, drug dealers, prostitutes and other criminal elements.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the operation was based on credible intelligence and was led by the Commander of the SWAT Unit, CSP Murphy.
According to the police, the raid was conducted at about 11 p.m. on July 7 and resulted in the arrest of 28 men and 15 women.
During the operation, officers recovered suspected hard drugs, including substances believed to be Indian hemp and Loud, as well as 10 mobile phones, four power banks, a rechargeable hand fan, a cross-body bag containing two ATM cards and a National Identity Card, among other items.
“The operation resulted in the arrest of forty-three (43) suspects, comprising twenty-eight (28) males and fifteen (15) females,” the statement said.
The police confirmed that all 43 suspects have been arraigned in court and remanded in the appropriate correctional facility.
They are facing charges including criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, membership of an unlawful society, possession of suspected cannabis, prostitution, operating an unlicensed brothel and other related offences.
The command added that some of the suspects have provided useful information to investigators, while follow-up operations are ongoing to arrest other members of the alleged criminal network.
According to the police, the latest prosecution brings the total number of suspects charged to court under Operation Kosaye to 76.
Commending the SWAT operatives, Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni praised their professionalism and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to dismantling criminal hideouts across the state.
He also urged residents to continue supporting the police with credible information to strengthen intelligence-led operations and improve security.
Source: Ogun State Police Command.
