Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have rescued 23 foreign nationals from captivity and arrested 14 suspected members of a transnational kidnapping and human trafficking syndicate during a raid in Nasarawa State.
The successful operation, carried out by the Scorpion Squad of the FCT Command, took place around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, following actionable intelligence.
In a statement released on Friday, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the victims were lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job opportunities but were later held hostage while their abductors demanded ransom from their families through WhatsApp and other online platforms.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate was coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a notorious transnational kingpin with operations spanning Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria,” Adeh said.
According to her, Jigiba’s younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, managed the recruitment, abduction, and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria. The group reportedly demanded ₦10 million (four million CFA) ransom for each captive.
The victims—14 men, eight women, and one child—were discovered confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions. They were rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
Those arrested 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).
The police added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the two principal suspects, Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, praised the Scorpion Squad for their swift action and reiterated the command’s commitment to dismantling cross-border criminal networks. He also urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
This latest breakthrough comes barely a week after Hobnob News reported that the command foiled a planned kidnapping and armed attack by suspected bandits in the Byazhin Forest area of Abuja, where an AK-47 rifle and rounds of ammunition were recovered.
The command stated that these operations are part of intensified efforts to curb the resurgence of banditry and kidnapping around border communities in the FCT, particularly in Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada areas.
— Hobnob News
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