The Ogun State Police Command has arraigned no fewer than 76 suspects arrested during its ongoing anti-crime offensive, Operation KOSAYE, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle criminal networks and reclaim communities from cultists, drug dealers, robbers and other suspected offenders.
The operation, launched under the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, is being executed across Ogun and Lagos states to flush out criminal elements, restore public confidence and dispel fears over the growing activities of violent gangs and other criminal groups.
Police spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed that the latest prosecution followed the arrest of 43 suspects during a coordinated midnight raid carried out by operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit at a notorious criminal hideout in Isheri-Olofin, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The suspects comprised 28 men and 15 women.
According to the police, intelligence reports had linked the location to cult-related activities, drug trafficking, prostitution and other organised criminal operations. During the raid, operatives recovered substances suspected to be cannabis, “Loud” and other hard drugs, mobile phones, power banks and other items believed to be connected to criminal activities.
Babaseyi said all 43 suspects have been charged before the courts and remanded in correctional facilities, bringing the total number of suspects prosecuted since the commencement of Operation KOSAYE to 76. Thirty-three suspects had earlier been arraigned during the initial phase of the operation.
The defendants are facing multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, membership of an unlawful society, unlawful assembly, conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace, disorderly conduct, unlawful possession and use of suspected cannabis, prostitution, operating an unlicensed brothel, robbery and other offences under the laws of Ogun State. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the SWAT operatives for what he described as a professional and intelligence-driven operation, reaffirming the command’s resolve to dismantle criminal hideouts, drug joints, brothels used as covers for illegal activities and cult enclaves across the state.
He assured residents that follow-up operations are already underway to track down fleeing suspects and expose other criminal networks linked to those already in custody, urging members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
The police maintained that Operation KOSAYE will remain a sustained offensive against criminality, warning that Ogun State will offer no safe haven for criminals or their collaborators.