No fewer than 23 foreign nationals who were kidnapped and held hostage by a transnational human trafficking syndicate in Nasarawa State have been rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to a Friday statement by the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, the victims—comprising 14 men, eight women, and one child—were freed around 8 p.m. on October 22 at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado, Mararaba area of the state.
Adeh said the victims were lured into Nigeria with promises of lucrative jobs but were instead abducted and detained while their families were contacted for ransom through WhatsApp and other online channels. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate demanded four million CFA (about ₦10 million) from the relatives of each victim,” she said.
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The police spokesperson identified the suspected ringleader as Abubakar Jigiba, described as a transnational criminal kingpin with operations spanning Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, was said to be in charge of recruitment, kidnapping, and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria.
“The victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days and kept in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions,” Adeh stated. She added that one of the victims sustained a minor ear injury and was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
A total of 14 suspects were arrested at the scene, including Bubakari Cisse, Karamogo Dembele, Amadou Traore, Haruna Dembele, and others. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to track down Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
The rescue operation has drawn praise from Nigerians, especially amid growing concerns over cross-border trafficking rings operating across West Africa.
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