The FCT Police Command has dislodged a transnational kidnapping syndicate and rescued 23 foreign nationals.
The suspected kidnappers, who abducted them, demanded N230 million in ransom after luring them into Nigeria under false promises of money-spinning jobs.
FCT police spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh said police operatives arrested 14 suspects during the sting operation in Nasarawa State.
According to her, the command’s Scorpion Squad launched the operation around 8 pm on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, where the hostages were held.
The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA (N10 million) per person, amounting to N230m in total ransom.
The suspects arrested in connection with the crime include: Bubakari Cisse (40); Karamogo Dembele (25); Musa Kamsoko (23); Amadou Traore (25); Sareba Traore (24); Zoumana Diara (23); Umar Koulibaly (26); Alasgara Sagara (20); Berthe Saidu (23); Abdullahi Napo (32); Isah Goita (26); Lorita Traore (22); Mohammed Siaaibe (23); and Haruna Dembele (37).
Police also revealed that some of the foreigners from West African countries were deceived into travelling to Nigeria by a criminal syndicate posing as recruiters.
Once they arrived, the kidnappers held them captive and demanded ransom from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.
The police said that investigations identified the ring leader as Abubakar Jigiba, a suspected notorious cross-border criminal with known residences in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.
His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, allegedly coordinated the fake recruitment, trafficking, and detention of victims smuggled from Mali into Nigeria through illegal border routes.
According to the police, “The victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days. They were subsequently confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.
“Acting on digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address where a total number of 23 victims, comprising 14 males, eight females, and one child, all unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for medical attention”.
