Police in Ogun State on Tuesday dismissed social media reports alleging bandit attacks and arrests of suspected bandits in parts of the state, saying there had been no security breaches in the affected communities.
The Ogun State Police Command said reports of attacks on schools and communities in Ota, Ifo, Atan-Ota, Ijoko, Sango-Ota and neighbouring areas were false and misleading.
Police spokesperson DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi said officers were deployed to the locations mentioned in the reports to verify the claims and conduct confidence-building patrols.
“The entire state remains safe, calm and secure,” the command said in a statement.
The police said security assessments carried out by its School Protection Squad and divisional officers confirmed that schools cited in the reports, including Oluke Community High School and Sango Ota High School in the Ijoko area, remained safe and fully operational.
According to the command, academic, commercial and social activities continued normally across the affected communities, with no threat to lives or property recorded.
Police also clarified circumstances surrounding the arrest of 38 foreign nationals in Kajola-Ilese, Atan-Ota, saying the individuals were not linked to banditry, kidnapping or terrorism.
The group, made up of 19 men and 19 women from Côte d’Ivoire aged between 25 and 35, was arrested following intelligence reports and was unable to provide valid immigration or travel documents during preliminary screening, the statement said.
The police revealed that the suspects told investigators they had entered Nigeria for online business activities. After preliminary police procedures, they were transferred to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation and administrative action.
The command warned against linking the arrests to violent crimes, saying such claims were false and capable of causing unnecessary panic.
The Police urged residents to disregard unverified security reports, continue their lawful activities without fear and rely on official channels for security-related information.
The command said officers remained deployed across the state, conducting patrols and intelligence-led operations to protect lives and property.