LAGOS/Nigeria: The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested 118 suspects and seized a cache of weapons, suspected drugs and stolen items in a sweeping, intelligence-driven operation conducted across the state within two weeks.
Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja, attributing the results to coordinated surveillance, rapid response and targeted enforcement against violent and organised crime.
According to the police chief, the suspects are linked to a range of offences including armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, vandalism, murder, unlawful possession of firearms and street violence.
He said items recovered during the operations include 11 locally fabricated Beretta pistols, one English-made Beretta pistol, a cut-to-size pistol, two dane guns, nine telecom power batteries, four cutlasses, a knife, 21 bags of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, and assorted charms.
Providing details of specific operations, Tijani said two suspects aged 21 and 23 were arrested in Ikorodu in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a 17-year-old, Thomson Adams, on April 22.
“Preliminary investigations also linked the suspects to an earlier abduction and murder of a female victim in November 2025, during which a ransom of N300,000 was paid,” he said.
The commissioner added that police acted on intelligence from a telecommunications firm to dismantle a vandalism syndicate, leading to the arrest of one suspect in Ikeja who subsequently led operatives to two others in Alausa and Ikorodu, where nine stolen telecom batteries were recovered.
He further disclosed that a 25-year-old suspect was arrested after allegedly robbing a woman at Ayetoro Bus Stop, while another 19-year-old was apprehended on Anthony Bridge during an attempted robbery, with investigations yielding two locally fabricated pistols.
Tijani said two suspected gun runners, both aged 20, were also arrested during a sting operation while attempting to sell a Beretta pistol, adding that efforts were ongoing to apprehend their supplier believed to be based in Kaduna State.
On cult-related violence, the police commissioner said 41 suspects were arrested in coordinated raids across Iwaya, Lagos Island, Ajao Estate, Ilasan and Festac, linking them to clashes, murder and other violent activities.
He added that operatives also raided criminal hideouts in Ilasan, Lekki and Maroko on April 27, resulting in the arrest of 58 suspects allegedly involved in traffic robbery, phone snatching and harassment of residents along the Lekki corridor.
The police boss said all suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations, reiterating the command’s resolve to sustain pressure on criminal elements.
He urged residents to support the police with timely and credible information, assuring that Lagos would remain hostile territory for criminal activities.
