The Nigeria Police Force has dismantled a transnational human trafficking and fraud syndicate operating within the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring communities, rescuing 30 foreign nationals and arresting 13 suspects.
The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the operation followed intelligence reports on the disappearance of several foreign nationals under suspicious circumstances.
According to the police, those arrested include Abdul Ngaki, identified as the syndicate leader, alongside Fatimah Kulibali, Ahmad Kasango, Sidibe Musa, Muhammad Dembele, Saidu Traore, Ali Koulibaly, Abdul Ngeki, Ahmed Sirma, Laya Bando, Aisha Dembele, Abi Togo and Awa Tesure.
Okon said investigations revealed that the syndicate specialised in targeting vulnerable youths from West African countries, particularly Mali and Gabon, luring them with false promises of migration opportunities to Europe and lucrative jobs in Nigeria.
He said, “Victims were induced to pay processing and transportation fees before being conveyed to residential locations in Mararaba and Karu, Nasarawa State, where they were held under exploitative and restrictive conditions.”
The police further disclosed that victims who were unable to meet additional financial demands were forced into staged kidnapping schemes orchestrated by the syndicate.
“Under the arrangement, victims were coerced into contacting relatives in their home countries while pretending to have been kidnapped, thereby compelling family members to remit ransom payments into accounts controlled by the syndicate,” the statement added.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team conducted coordinated operations on May 7, 2026, at identified hideouts along Barrister Road, Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State.
The raid led to the rescue of all 30 victims, identified as Malian nationals, and the arrest of the 13 suspects directly linked to the criminal network.
The police reiterated their commitment to combating human trafficking and transnational organised crime, assuring that all individuals connected to the syndicate would be brought to justice.