The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspects and recovered 47 sacks of military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of substances suspected to be illicit drugs during an intelligence-led operation in Surulere, Lagos.
Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani disclosed this to journalists on June 23, at the command headquarters in Ikeja. He said operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit carried out the operation on Saturday night following credible intelligence.
The suspects, Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38; and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45, were arrested while conveying the items in an unregistered MAN diesel truck.
Tijani said preliminary investigations showed the uniforms were allegedly being transported to the South-East. He added that investigations were ongoing to determine the source of the uniforms and suspected drugs, identify intended recipients, and establish other individuals linked to the shipment.
“It does not pose any form of threat to Lagos State. They were moving out of the state, but with the trend of events in the country where bandits have been known to wear military uniforms, nobody can say what the intended use would have been,” the commissioner stated.
In a separate operation, troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, rescued 47 persons, mostly women and children, from an Islamic State West Africa Province enclave in Kangarwa, Kukawa LGA of Borno State.
Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, stated in a communique that sustained ground and air offensives against terrorist strongholds in the Lake Chad region have compelled insurgents to abandon their positions, enabling the captives to escape.
“The unrelenting ground and air offensives forced the terrorists to abandon their positions in confusion, enabling the victims to escape from prolonged captivity,” the statement said.
The rescued civilians have been moved to a secure location where they are receiving medical treatment, emergency relief, and humanitarian assistance. Authorities are working with relevant agencies on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for the survivors.
The military added that recent offensives in the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa Forest axis have weakened insurgent networks, leading to civilian rescues, recovery of weapons, and neutralisation of several terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria has urged herders in the South-West to support security agencies with information to expose kidnappers, bandits, and other criminal elements.
CFPN convener Ibrahim Barkindo Chubado appealed to recent comments by Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on insecurity in parts of Oyo State.
Chubado noted that criminal activities by bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers should not be attributed to peaceful Fulani pastoralists engaged in legitimate livestock and agricultural activities. He welcomed Igboho’s clarification that his concerns targeted criminal elements rather than any ethnic or religious group, calling it a step toward peaceful coexistence and discouraging ethnic profiling.
“We sincerely thank our host Yoruba communities, especially those in the Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones of Oyo State, for their understanding as reflected in the recent statement by Sunday Igboho,” Chubado declared.
He added that Fulani pastoralists had consistently supported security efforts by providing useful intelligence that led to the arrest of kidnappers and other suspects. He urged government authorities, traditional rulers, and community leaders to protect law-abiding pastoralists.
The group stressed that criminality should not be associated with any ethnic or religious identity, noting that Fulani communities are also victims of banditry, terrorism, cattle rustling, and violent attacks across the country.
