The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, has touted the success of Operation Kosaye in reducing the menace of kidnapping in the state, saying that 84 suspected kidnappers and other criminals have been charged in court since the security exercise started.

CP Ojajuni disclosed this while briefing journalists after a stakeholders’ meeting at the Ijebu-Ode Police Area Command, Igbeba Ijebu-Ode, attended by senior police officers, representatives of other security agencies, representatives of quasi-security agencies, members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), among other guests.

CP Ojajuni stated that Operation Kosaye, a joint security operation involving the Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands and sponsored by both state governments, has resulted in the clearing of bushes and forests serving as hideouts for kidnappers and other criminal elements.

He said, “You can see that Operation Kosaye is speaking for itself. You can see the tremendous achievement, the huge achievement. You can see the people…. the victims that we rescued. You can see more people that we are still arresting; over 84 people have been charged to court by Operation Kosaye.”

CP Ojajuni added that the Police would not rest on their oars, noting that Operation Kosaye would remain an ongoing exercise as security agencies sustain and intensify the campaign against kidnappers and other violent criminals across the state.

“It’s an ongoing exercise, operation. It’s not a one-off thing. It is going to be continuous. And the governor has promised that he will continue to support us to make sure that we sustain the tempo.

“For now, you can see that the entire state is calm because we have flushed both the forest regions, the unoccupied territories, and large expanse of land; we have flushed them. And we cannot just flush and leave it like that; we have to sustain that campaign. And we are doing just that.”

CP Ojajuni also reiterated the Nigeria Police Force’s enforcement of the ban on unauthorised vehicle tinted glass, stating that the exercise is ongoing in the state and across the country. He explained that the tinted glass permit policy was introduced for security purposes, allowing police officers to identify vehicle occupants when necessary.

“It is very active… It could be very funny that somebody will just buy a car and darken the car, for what purpose?… We are conscious, aware of the fact that few, a few people are having eye challenges. And that is the essence of having a permit to show that actually you are having an eye issue, which you must get a paper from a medical doctor. But the majority, about 98% of people that are using tinted glass, they have no reason to be using it. It’s just for fancy. It’s just a symbol of status, nothing more.

“And it is not too good because it inhibits security arrangements. A situation where somebody will be in a vehicle; at a jiffy, you cannot see who is inside the vehicle. You have to stop the vehicle; they have to wind down; you have to be asking questions. No, if it is transparent, you don’t need all that. And in the real sense of it, they don’t even need the tinted glass…. Because it adds no value to yourself or your security.”