By Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu
The Nigeria Police on Saturday launched “Operation Kósàyè,” a joint offensive by the Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands targeting kidnapping syndicates along the two states’ border communities.
The operation recorded an early breakthrough on Friday with the rescue of five kidnap victims abducted barely 24 hours earlier along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway. Four suspected kidnappers were killed during the rescue, while another fled with gunshot wounds.
Separately, police arrested four more suspected kidnappers and 84 other criminal suspects in related operations along the Lagos-Ogun corridor. Officers recovered AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, locally made pistols, ammunition and communication gadgets from the suspects.
Parading the suspects at the Police Training College, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, said the operation was ordered by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to clear kidnappers and armed robbers from forests and border communities linking the two states.
“Operation Kósàyè is designed to reclaim our forests, dismantle criminal camps and restore security across communities stretching from Kara and the Long Bridge through Sagamu, Ogere and Ijebu-Ode to adjoining border communities in Ikorodu and Epe,” Ojajuni said.
He added that identified flashpoints had been cleared and illegal shanties used by criminals dismantled.
“As I speak, there is no known victim currently being held in captivity within the operational areas covered by this exercise,” he said, urging residents to keep supplying credible intelligence, particularly on kidnappers and persons with gunshot wounds.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, said criminal gangs had exploited the thick forests and difficult terrain along the border to set up camps used to launch attacks on commuters and residents.
“This is not a one-off operation. It is a continuous exercise that will be sustained until criminal elements are completely denied access to these forests,” Tijani said, noting that drones and intelligence gathering had been deployed.
He credited the operation’s success to the IGP’s leadership and logistical support from Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dapo Abiodun, describing the model as one that could be replicated elsewhere in the country.
Recounting her ordeal, rescued victim Usofor Amarachi said she was attacked alongside her family near Ogbere while returning from her father’s burial in Anambra State. Her mother was shot in the hand during the attack but escaped with one of Amarachi’s sisters, while Amarachi and an aunt were taken into the forest.
“They demanded N70 million but later reduced it to N20 million. There were five of them, and they were Fulani,” she said. “We slept in the open without food or water. On the day we were rescued, we heard sporadic gunshots and thought the kidnappers had returned. We later discovered the gunshots were from police officers.”
Another victim, Temi Faith, said she sustained injuries when her vehicle was ambushed before she was marched into the forest with other captives.
“I had already given up hope. I prayed what I believed would be my last prayer. Suddenly, we heard gunshots. The kidnappers fled, and a policeman told us it was safe to come out,” she said.
A third victim, farmer Jimoh Gbadamosi, said the kidnappers intercepted several vehicles near Ogbere, abducting five persons from three vehicles after shooting sporadically. He commended the rescue operation and urged the Federal Government to equip security agencies with more sophisticated weapons and establish permanent checkpoints along the expressway.
In an emotional scene, Blessing Nsofor, the gunshot victim whose escape allowed her relatives to raise alarm, knelt before officers at the Police Training College to express gratitude, apologising for past criticism of the police.
“I will never speak ill of the police again. But for them, I don’t know what would have happened to me, my daughters and my sister,” she said, displaying her bandaged arm.
The rescued victims called for the restoration of police checkpoints along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway and urged the Federal Government to clear roadside bushes to improve visibility and deter further attacks.
