Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have rescued 23 foreign nationals from a transnational kidnapping and human trafficking syndicate and arrested 14 suspects in a major intelligence-led operation in Nasarawa State.
The rescue, carried out by the Command’s Scorpion Squad at about 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, took place at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba.
According to the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the victims—comprising 14 men, eight women, and one child—were discovered in captivity after being lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers. The abductors had been demanding ransom payments from their families through WhatsApp and other online platforms.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate is led by one Abubakar Jigiba, a notorious criminal kingpin with operational bases in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. His brother, Sougule Zoubere, is believed to be responsible for recruiting, kidnapping, and smuggling victims—mostly from Mali—into Nigeria, where they were held pending ransom payments of about four million CFA francs (₦10 million) each.
The victims were reportedly trafficked through illegal border routes over a three-day journey and kept in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under harsh and inhumane conditions. Acting on digital and reconstructive intelligence, police operatives stormed the hideout and freed all 23 victims unharmed, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has since been treated at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The 14 suspects arrested at the scene 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 authorities said efforts are ongoing to apprehend Jigiba and his brother, Zoubere, who remain at large.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc, commended the Scorpion Squad for the swift and coordinated operation. He urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities through the Command’s emergency hotlines: 08032003913, 08028940883, or via the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) number 08107314192.
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