The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has rescued 23 foreign nationals and arrested 14 suspected kidnappers during a special operation in Nasarawa State.
The operation, carried out by operatives of the command’s elite Scorpion Squad around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, took place at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the rescue followed credible intelligence that a syndicate had lured several foreigners into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers before abducting them and demanding ransom.
“Upon arrival in Nigeria, the victims were held captive by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms,” Adeh said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the criminal network was led by a transnational kingpin identified as Abubakar Jigiba, who operates across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.
His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, reportedly coordinated the recruitment, kidnapping, and trafficking of victims from Mali into Nigeria.
The suspects allegedly demanded four million CFA (about ₦10 million) per victim and kept them in two fortified apartments under harsh and inhumane conditions.
The rescued victims, consisting of 14 men, eight women, and one child, were found alive and in stable condition, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Suspected Cultists, Gun Runners in Delta
The police named those arrested 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).
The statement added that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspects, Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, commended the Scorpion Squad for the successful operation and urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the nearest security agency.
The FCT Command reiterated its commitment to tackling cross-border crimes, noting that the operation aligns with its renewed efforts to curb the rising threat of banditry and kidnapping across border communities in the territory, especially in Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada.