The 65 battalion of the Nigerian Army has raided a building in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State and arrested 24 illegal immigrants.

This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by Musa Yahaya, the acting spokesman for the battalion, Musa Yahaya.

He said the raid was conducted following credible intelligence on the presence of undocumented foreign nationals within the battalion’s area of responsibility.

He stated, “Acting on credible intelligence, troops of the Battalion, in conjunction with members of the vigilante group, raided a secluded fenced compound located at Imokun in the Odo-Noforija/Poka axis of Epe.”

He said that during the operation, 24 foreign nationals comprising 15 males and nine females were apprehended.

Mr Yahaya said that preliminary profiling showed that the suspects are nationals of various West and Central African countries, including Cameroon (10), Togo (6), Côte d’Ivoire (3), Republic of Benin (3), Burkina Faso (1) and Guinea-Bissau (1). 

“Initial investigations were conducted to ascertain the suspects’ immigration status, purpose of stay and possible involvement in any unlawful activities,” he said.

The spokesman added that efforts were also underway to identify and question the owner of the premises to provide further insight into the circumstances surrounding their residence and activities at the location.

“The suspects were officially handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos State Command, on 16 July 2026 for further investigation, profiling and necessary administrative action in accordance with extant immigration laws and regulations,” Mr Yahaya said.