Police have rescued five kidnapped victims and arrested 88 suspects during a joint anti-crime operation across Ogun and Lagos States. Codenamed "Kosaye," meaning "no chance" for criminals, the operation also led to the neutralization of four kidnappers during a confrontation along the J3-J4 corridor of the Benin-Sagamu Expressway. The rescue followed a reported abduction of the five victims along the Ore–Ogbere road on Thursday. Ogun State Police Commissioner Bode Ojajuni disclosed the outcome at a press briefing on Saturday at the Ogun Police Training College in Iperu. He attributed the operation to Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, with backing from the governors of Ogun and Lagos States. According to Ojajuni, 84 suspects were apprehended during widespread bush-clearing exercises targeting criminal hideouts in forests and shanties along the Ogun-Lagos-Oyo boundary. The remaining four arrests were made during the specific rescue mission. The four kidnappers who were killed had engaged police in a shootout during the rescue. Ojajuni stated that Operation "Kosaye" aims to eliminate banditry, kidnapping, and other criminal activities by dismantling hideouts and increasing surveillance in vulnerable areas. The operation involved coordinated efforts between the Ogun and Lagos State Police Commands. No further details were provided on the condition of the rescued victims or the identities of the suspects.
The deployment of a high-profile joint operation across two states suggests prior intelligence failures allowed criminal networks to embed in border forests. Rescuing five victims after a midweek abduction indicates response rather than prevention despite repeated security assurances. If 84 suspects were detained in sweeping raids, the scale of underground criminal activity may be wider than official narratives admit. The killing of four kidnappers in a single confrontation raises questions about the level of firepower now routinely carried by such gangs.
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