Troops of the 65 Battalion, Nigerian Army, have arrested 24 undocumented foreign nationals during a coordinated raid on a suspected hideout in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The operation forms part of the 81 Division Nigerian Army’s ongoing efforts to rid its Area of Responsibility (AOR) of criminal elements, illegal immigrants and other security threats.
According to the military, the operation was carried out following credible intelligence indicating the presence of undocumented foreign nationals within the battalion’s operational area.
Acting on the intelligence, troops of the 65 Battalion, working in collaboration with members of a local vigilante group, stormed a secluded fenced compound at Imokun in the Odo-Noforija/Poka axis of Epe, where they arrested 24 foreign nationals, comprising 15 males and nine females.
Preliminary profiling revealed that the suspects are citizens of several West and Central African countries. They include 10 Cameroonians, six Togolese, three Ivorians, three nationals of the Republic of Benin, one Burkinabè and one Guinea-Bissau national.
The military said initial investigations are focused on determining the suspects’ immigration status, the purpose of their stay in Nigeria and whether they are involved in any unlawful activities.
Authorities are also making efforts to identify and question the owner of the property where the foreign nationals were residing in order to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence at the location and gather further information relevant to the investigation.
Following the operation, the 24 suspects were formally handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos State Command, on July 16, 2026, for further investigation, profiling and appropriate administrative action in line with Nigeria’s immigration laws and regulations.