The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has rescued 23 foreign nationals from captivity and arrested 14 suspected transnational kidnappers in Nasarawa State.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, October 31, 2025 said the rescue operation was conducted by operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, followed a report indicating that some foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers.
According to the PPRO, the victims were held hostage by their gang who demanded ransom payments from their families.
“In a major breakthrough against kidnapping and human trafficking, operatives of the FCT Police Command’s Scorpion Squad, have successfully arrested fourteen (14) suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three (23) victims, all foreign nationals, from captivity. The intelligence-led operation took place at about 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 22nd October 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State,” the statement read.
“The operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers.
“Upon arrival, they were held hostage by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the syndicate is coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with known residences in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.
“His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, handles the recruitment, kidnapping, and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they are detained pending ransom payments. The group demanded four million CFA (N10,000,000) for each victim.
“Further investigations revealed that 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 actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address where a total number of twenty-three (23) victims, comprising fourteen (14) males, eight (females, and one (1) child, all unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for medical attention.
