The Ogun State command of the Nigeria Police Force has dismantled a notorious Cameroonian syndicate accused of kidnapping unsuspecting victims under the guise of processing international visas.
Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, said on Friday (today) that operatives of the anti-kidnapping unit arrested two members of the gang during a sting operation at their hideout in Mowe, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
She added that the gang leader is currently on the run.
According to Odutola, the crackdown followed a distress call from a Cameroonian woman, Kengne Maeva, who said she was deceived into travelling to Nigeria on September 29, 2025, by a man identified simply as Donald.
Investigations revealed that Donald had promised to facilitate a Canadian visa for Maeva. Instead, she and her 23-year-old sister were held hostage in a two-bedroom apartment in the Pakuro area of Ogun State.
“Shortly after she arrived at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, she was received by the supposed ‘agency’ which provided transportation from Lagos to Mowe, Ogun State, where she and her younger sister were held hostage,” Odutola stated.
Maeva reportedly escaped from captivity on November 3 and immediately alerted the police, revealing that several other victims were also being detained.
Naijaonpoint understands that her escape prompted a swift police operation that led to the arrest of two suspects identified as Ndzana Kamga Isidore and Tingue Stephen.
According to the police, families of the kidnapped victims in Cameroon had already paid 3.6 million CFA francs into the bank account of the fleeing gang leader.
Odutola said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered heightened intelligence and surveillance across the state to dismantle similar criminal networks.
She quoted him as directing tactical commanders to work closely with community leaders, especially in remote areas, to immediately report suspicious foreign nationals renting apartments or running unregistered “visa agencies”.
The command assured residents that efforts are underway to apprehend the fleeing ringleader and rescue any remaining victims.
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