The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismantled a transnational kidnapping syndicate that demanded N230m in ransom from foreign nationals lured into Nigeria under the false promises of money-spinning jobs.
Police said its operatives rescued 23 victims and arrested 14 suspects during a sting operation in Nasarawa State.
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.
According to police findings, 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.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, on Friday, said 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.
The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA (N10m) per person, amounting to N230m in total ransom.
Adeh said: “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”.
The police arrested the following suspects in connection with the crime: 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).
Adeh confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother Sougule Zoubere, both of whom remain at large.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the FCT Police Command via its emergency hotlines: 08032003913, 08028940883, and CRU: 08107314192.
