Efforts by the Nigerian Police to end cross-border crime, operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have rescued 23 foreign nationals from a gang allegedly behind a sophisticated human trafficking and abduction network.
Of the 23 victims rescued, 14 men, eight women, and one child, only one sustained a minor ear injury and has since been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
Rescuing the foreigners after weeks of abduction, the police arrested 14 suspects behind the kidnapping from the FCT to Nasarawa State.
The 14 arrested suspects were identified as 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).
As gathered, the victims, lured into Nigeria under false promises of lucrative employment, were later held captive as their abductors demanded ransom from their families abroad.
According to the police, the swift operation followed a coordinated intelligence effort that exposed the gang’s activities and their hideout.
The rescue operation was conducted by operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed this in a statement issued on Friday, noting that the gang’s criminal enterprise was both transnational and well-structured.
“The operation was based on credible intelligence indicating that a group of foreign nationals had been deceitfully brought into Nigeria under fake job offers,” Adeh explained.
“Upon their arrival, they were detained and their captors demanded ransom through online platforms, including WhatsApp.”
Moreover, preliminary investigations revealed that the network was allegedly headed by one Abubakar Jigiba, described as a notorious transnational crime kingpin with known operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.
According to the police, his brother, Sougule Zoubere, reportedly managed the logistics, recruitment, and trafficking of victims from Mali into Nigeria.
Police disclosed that the kidnappers demanded four million CFA (about ₦10 million) for each victim.
The abducted individuals were smuggled through illegal border routes and locked inside two fortified apartments where they endured harsh conditions before the rescue.
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing masterminds, Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
Commending the success of the operation, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, praised the Scorpion Squad for their professionalism and resilience.
“This operation sends a clear message to criminal syndicates that the FCT will not be a safe haven for traffickers or kidnappers,” Dantawaye said. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly.”
The command reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying border patrols and security operations, particularly around Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada, where recent raids have foiled several kidnapping plots.
