THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested fourteen suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three victims — all foreign nationals — from captivity in a major anti-trafficking operation.
According to a statement by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the intelligence-led operation was carried out by the Scorpion Squad around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
Adeh explained that the victims were deceived into traveling to Nigeria with promises of lucrative job opportunities.
Upon arrival, they were held hostage by the syndicate, which demanded ransom payments from their families through WhatsApp and other online platforms.
Preliminary investigations identified the group’s leader as Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin operating across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.
His brother, Sougule Zoubere, reportedly handled the recruitment and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria.
Police said the victims endured a three-day journey through illegal border routes before being confined in two fortified apartments under harsh conditions.
“Acting on credible digital and reconstructive intelligence, operatives traced the hideout and successfully rescued twenty-three victims — fourteen men, eight women, and one child — all unhurt except one, who sustained a minor ear injury and has since received treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja,” the statement added.
The police reaffirmed their commitment to dismantling human trafficking and kidnapping networks across the FCT and neighboring states.