Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 65 Battalion have arrested 24 foreign nationals during a raid on a suspected hideout in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The operation was part of ongoing efforts to tackle criminal activities, illegal migration and other security threats within the 81 Division Area of Responsibility.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with members of a local vigilante group, followed intelligence reports indicating that undocumented foreign nationals were residing in a secluded compound in the Imokun community along the Odo-Noforija/Poka axis of Epe.
The Army disclosed the development in a statement issued on Thursday by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya.
According to the statement, the operation led to the arrest of 24 suspects, comprising 15 men and nine women.
It said preliminary profiling showed that the suspects were nationals of six West and Central African countries, including Cameroon, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
The Army said initial investigations focused on determining the immigration status of the suspects, the purpose of their stay in Nigeria and whether they had links to any criminal activities.
The statement added that security operatives were also making efforts to identify and question the owner of the compound where the foreign nationals were found to establish the circumstances surrounding their residence.
“The suspects were officially handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, on July 16, 2026, for further investigation, profiling and necessary administrative action in line with existing immigration laws and regulations,” the statement read.
The General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Adebayo Babalola, commended the troops for the successful operation and urged them to sustain the momentum in ongoing security operations.
“He charged personnel to intensify efforts aimed at denying criminal elements, illegal immigrants and other security threats freedom of operation within the Division’s Area of Responsibility,” the statement added.
Babalola also reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to working with other security agencies to strengthen public safety and maintain peace across Lagos and other areas under the 81 Division’s jurisdiction.
The Army said the operation forms part of sustained efforts to dismantle criminal networks and improve security across the division’s area of responsibility.
