By Evelyn Usman

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 38 foreign nationals in Epe, Lagos State, following intelligence reports about the presence of a large number of foreigners occupying a building in the area.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Tijani, disclosed that the operation was launched after credible intelligence indicated suspicious activities involving the occupants of the building.

He clarified that the arrested foreigners were not connected to individuals featured in a recent viral video that sparked public concern.

According to the police commissioner, those arrested include 14 Chinese nationals, nine Cameroonians, four Beninese, four Malaysians, two Togolese and one Ghanaian.

Tijani said preliminary investigations raised concerns as many of the suspects were unable to provide satisfactory explanations regarding their activities in Nigeria.

“We got information that there were lots of foreign nationals occupying a particular building. We went into action and arrested 14 Chinese nationals, nine Cameroonians, four Beninese, four Malaysians, two Togolese and one Ghanaian,” he said.

He added that some of the suspects claimed to be involved in networking businesses but could not adequately explain the nature of their operations.

“What’s important is that all these people that were arrested could not give satisfactory accounts of themselves. They could not specifically tell us what they were doing in Nigeria. Some claimed they were into networking, but they could not explain exactly what that meant,” the CP stated.

The police commissioner disclosed that the suspects are currently being profiled to determine whether they are linked to any criminal activities before being handed over to the appropriate authorities.

Preliminary findings, according to him, revealed that 20 of the arrested foreigners entered Nigeria illegally, while 18 possessed valid ECOWAS travel documents.

He said the matter has been referred to the Nigeria Immigration Service and the embassies of the affected countries for further investigation and necessary action.

Tijani also highlighted other operational successes recorded by the command in June, including arrests linked to armed robbery, cultism, unlawful possession of firearms, vandalism, conspiracy and other violent crimes.

He disclosed that the operations led to the recovery of 14 firearms, four live cartridges, 51 mobile phones, two Vehicle Engine Control Units (ECUs), popularly known as brain boxes, vandalised electrical cables, knives and other incriminating items.

The commissioner described the achievements as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and proactive crime prevention strategies adopted by the command.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Lagos State Police Command to protecting lives and property and ensuring that criminal elements have no safe haven in the state.

“The Command wishes to reassure all residents of Lagos State that there will be no safe haven for criminal elements within the State. We therefore urge members of the public to continue partnering with the Police by providing timely, useful and credible information capable of supporting crime prevention, prompt operational response and effective law enforcement,” he said.

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