… Joint Operation Follows Intelligence On Suspicious Gatherings In Ijebu-Imusin
… Police Debunk Viral Claims Of Mass Bandit Arrests,Bus Seizure
Daud Olatunji
Tension has continued to mount in parts of Ogun State following conflicting accounts of a security operation in Ijebu axis, where residents and security agencies reported the profiling of about 50 foreign nationals amid fears over suspicious movements and alleged infiltration.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that panic first spread across communities in Ijebu East and Ijebu Imusin following reports that local vigilantes intercepted two buses allegedly conveying several non-Nigerian-speaking individuals in the Idona area, near Eye Foundation axis of Ijebu Imusin.
Eyewitnesses claimed the buses, reportedly 15-seater vehicles, were filled with passengers believed to be of Fulani extraction, who were found with bags, laptops, and multiple mobile phones, a development that triggered suspicion among residents.
The incident, which circulated widely on social media, further fueled claims that suspected bandits had been arrested in large numbers, with some reports alleging over 100 suspects were apprehended and buses loaded with incriminating items intercepted.
However, the Ogun State Police Command has dismissed the viral claims as false and misleading, insisting that no such mass arrest or bus interception involving incriminating items occurred.
In a statement clarifying the situation, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the actual operation was a coordinated intelligence-led exercise carried out by operatives of the Ijebu Imusin Division in conjunction with the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Babaseyi added that the security agencies acted on credible intelligence received on June 11, 2026, regarding repeated gatherings at a compound in Ita Marun area of Ijebu Imusin for purposes that raised security concerns.
According to him, operatives conducted sustained surveillance on the location, supported by drone monitoring, during which some occupants were observed receiving instruction in the French language.
“A search conducted on the premises reportedly yielded no incriminating items.The individuals, numbering about 50 foreign nationals, were thereafter profiled and handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further statutory procedures, including immigration-related investigations”.
The Police spokesperosn further clarified that at no time were over 100 suspects arrested, nor were any buses intercepted with arms or other incriminating items as widely circulated.
Despite the clarification, the initial reports and counter-narratives have heightened tension in parts of Ijebu communities, with residents expressing concern over the presence of unidentified foreigners in residential areas.
Some community members also alleged that a group of foreigners had been residing in a compound in Itamarun area, reportedly moving in small groups and keeping to themselves, claims which authorities have not confirmed.
Community leaders have since called for calm, urging residents to avoid spreading unverified information capable of escalating tension.
Security agencies, meanwhile, have assured that investigations are ongoing and that appropriate measures are being taken to ensure public safety and maintain order across the affected communities.
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