Police Arrest 14 Transnational Kidnappers, Rescue 23 Abducted Foreigners

The Federal Capital Police Command operatives arrested 14 members of a transnational trafficking ring and successfully rescued 23 foreign nationals, a rescue operation which took place at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by SP Josephine Adeh, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, on Friday.

According to the statement, the operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals were lured to Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers and were abducted upon arrival.

The statement reads, “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.”

It added, “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 (₦10,000,000) for each victim.”

According to the statement, “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.”

During the operation, the Scorpion Squad while acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, traced the hideout to the above address where a total number of twenty-three (23) victims, comprising fourteen (14) males, eight (8) 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.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc, commended the Scorpion Squad for the swift operation, and called on members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the command via its emergency numbers: 08032003913, 08028940883, CRU: 08107314192.

The following suspects were arrested in connection with the crime:

40-year-old Bubakari Cisse

25-year-old Karamogo Dembele

23-year-old Musa Kamsoko

25-year-old Amadou Traore

24-year-old Sareba Traore

23-year-old Zoumana Diara

26-year-old Umar Koulibaly

20-year-old Alasgara Sagara

23-year-old Berthe Saidu

32-year-old Abdullahi Napo

26-year-old Isah Goita

22-year-old Lorita Traore

23-year-old Mohammed Siaaibe

37-year-old Haruna Dembele

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother Sougule Zoubere, who are currently at large.