FCT police rescue 24 foreign nationals, arrest 14 suspected kidnappers in Nasarawa

FCT police rescue 24 foreign nationals, arrest 14 suspected kidnappers in Nasarawa

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command’s elite Scorpion Squad have successfully rescued 24 foreign nationals from captivity and arrested 14 suspected kidnappers in a major anti-trafficking operation.

The operation, which took place at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, was carried out at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, in Nasarawa State, near Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

According to a statement issued on Friday by FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation triggered by reports that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers. Upon arrival, they were held hostage while their abductors demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the criminal syndicate is coordinated by Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational kingpin with known residences in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, is said to be responsible for recruiting, kidnapping, and smuggling victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they were detained pending ransom payments of four million CFA francs (₦10 million) per victim.

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The victims were trafficked into Nigeria through illegal border routes, enduring a three-day journey before being confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.

“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout and rescued twenty-three victims — fourteen males, eight females, and one child — all unhurt except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for medical attention,” the statement read.

The police listed the arrested suspects as:
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).

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

The FCT Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling criminal networks and ensuring the safety of all residents and foreign nationals within the territory.

FCT police rescue 24 foreign nationals, arrest 14 suspected kidnappers in Nasarawa