Ogun Police Arrest 146 Suspects Over Violence, Sagamu Hospital Attack

The Ogun Police Command on Tuesday, arrested and paraded 146 suspects for alleged breach of public peace, including violent protests and an attack on a health facility in Sagamu.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, paraded the suspects at the Sagamu divisional police headquarters in Sagamu.

Babaseyi was flanked by the DPO Sagamu, CSP Fred Ode, his Second-in-Command, CSP Markus Wantana, and the Vice Chairman of Sagamu LGA, Isiaka Salami.

The police spokesperson said some of the suspects were part of a group of commercial motorcycle riders (Okada operators) who unlawfully blocked the Oba Erinwole GRA Road in Sagamu on April 7, thereby impeding the movement of innocent citizens.

According to him, the actions, though premised on grievances, were unlawful and unacceptable.

He said during the demonstration, the suspects attacked a hospital facility in Sagamu and denied some patients access to healthcare.

“The men who carried out the unlawful assembly and protest attacked the health centre. If you have a protest, what do medical personnel have to do with your grievances? What does a sick person in the sick bay have to do with your protest?

“There are channels of communication. If they are aggrieved, they should write to the appropriate authorities. They know the Sagamu LG secretariat. They have liaison officers to relate with the government, but they did not do so, instead taking the law into their own hands and affecting innocent citizens.

“People were going to the hospital that day when they blocked the road, and that affected the health of those going there. That does not show good faith from those who acted in that way,” Babaseyi said.

He said 10 principal suspects had already been arrested in connection with the incident and charged to court.

According to him, in continuation of efforts, operatives of the Sagamu Area Command, in synergy with sister security agencies and community stakeholders, carried out a comprehensive, intelligence-led raid in the early hours of April 13, 2026, targeting identified criminal flashpoints within Sagamu.

He said the operation recorded significant success, with a total of 146 suspects arrested.

He said the joint exercise involved the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, the Ogun State Community Security (So-Safe) Corps, and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), demonstrating a unified and coordinated security response.

“All suspects are currently undergoing screening, and those found culpable will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abeokuta, for thorough investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law,” he said.

Babaseyi quoted the Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, as having read the riot act to all criminal elements and troublemakers within Sagamu and its environs.

“The Command is fully prepared, strategically positioned, and operationally equipped to deal decisively with any act of lawlessness. There will be no hiding place for individuals or groups intent on undermining public peace, as the full force of the law will be brought to bear on offenders,” the CP said.

He said the Command remains resolute in sustaining the gains recorded under “Operation Keep Sagamu Safe” through proactive, intelligence-led policing and strengthened collaboration with communities and relevant stakeholders.

Responding to questions on the right to protest, Babaseyi said, “Protest is a fundamental right, but it must be carried out within the dictates of the law. You must know that where your right ends, another person’s right begins.”

The vice chairman of Sagamu LGA, Isiaka Salami, applauded the security agencies for what he described as a prompt intervention.

He said, “We thank them for swinging into action when there was information that some people wanted to cause havoc.

“Sagamu is a very volatile place. During the cash crisis, the entire Local Government was ransacked and no place was spared.

“But this time around, the security agencies swung into action and stopped what would have become another crisis in Sagamu.”