Army Raids Lagos Hideout, Arrests 24 Foreign Nationals

• Troops of the 65 Battalion raided a suspected hideout in Epe, Lagos, arresting 24 foreign nationals after receiving credible intelligence on the presence of undocumented migrants.

• Those arrested comprise 15 males and nine females from Cameroon, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau, with investigations underway into their activities and immigration status.

• The Nigerian Army has handed over all 24 suspects to the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service for comprehensive profiling, further investigation, and appropriate action under Nigeria’s immigration laws.

• The General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Adebayo Babalola, praised the troops and directed commanders to intensify operations against illegal immigrants, criminal elements, and other security threats across the Division’s Area of Responsibility.

July 16, () — The Nigerian Army has arrested 24 foreign nationals during a coordinated intelligence-led raid on a suspected hideout in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, as part of ongoing operations to rid the 81 Division Area of Responsibility (AOR) of criminal elements, illegal immigrants, and other security threats.

reports that the operation was carried out by troops of the 65 Battalion in collaboration with members of the Vigilante Group following credible intelligence indicating the presence of undocumented foreign nationals in the Battalion’s operational area.

Acting on the intelligence, the troops stormed a secluded fenced compound located at Imokun in the Odo-Noforija/Poka axis of Epe, where they apprehended 24 foreign nationals comprising 15 males and nine females.

According to the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya, the operation forms part of sustained security measures aimed at preventing criminal elements from establishing safe havens within the Division’s Area of Responsibility.

Preliminary profiling conducted after the arrests revealed that the suspects are citizens of six West and Central African countries.

The breakdown showed that 10 are from Cameroon, six from Togo, three from Côte d’Ivoire, three from the Republic of Benin, one from Burkina Faso, and one from Guinea-Bissau.

Military authorities said initial investigations focused on determining the immigration status of the suspects, the purpose of their stay in Nigeria, and whether they had any connection with criminal activities.

The Army also disclosed that efforts are ongoing to identify and question the owner of the compound to establish the circumstances surrounding the residence of the foreign nationals and ascertain whether the property was being used for any unlawful purpose.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adebayo Babalola, commended the troops for their professionalism, vigilance, and successful execution of the intelligence-driven operation.

He directed commanders and personnel across the Division to sustain ongoing operations and intensify efforts aimed at denying criminal elements, illegal immigrants, and other security threats freedom of operation within the Division’s Area of Responsibility.

Major General Babalola also reaffirmed the 81 Division’s commitment to supporting the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies in maintaining peace, public safety, and national security across Lagos State and other areas under the Division’s jurisdiction.

Suspects Handed Over to Immigration

Following the preliminary investigation, the Army officially transferred all 24 suspects to the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

The Immigration Service is expected to conduct comprehensive profiling, further investigations and take appropriate administrative action in line with Nigeria’s immigration laws and regulations.

Security authorities reiterated that similar operations would continue across the 81 Division’s Area of Responsibility as part of broader efforts to safeguard communities, strengthen border-related enforcement within the country’s interior, and ensure that individuals residing in Nigeria comply with extant immigration laws.