The Nigeria Police Force has dismantled a transnational human trafficking and fraud syndicate operating within the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring communities, rescued 30 foreign nationals and arrested13 suspects linked to the criminal network.
The operation, carried out by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), followed intelligence reports on the disappearance of several foreign nationals within Nigeria under suspicious circumstances.
According to the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, investigations revealed that the syndicate specialised in luring vulnerable youths from West African countries, particularly Mali and Gabon, with false promises of migration opportunities to Europe and lucrative jobs in Nigeria.
Victims were allegedly made to pay processing and transportation fees before being transported to hideouts in Mararaba and Karu areas of Nasarawa State, where they were held in exploitative and restrictive conditions.
Police identified the suspects arrested as Abdul Ngaki, said to be 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.
Investigators further uncovered that victims who failed to meet additional financial demands were forced into staged kidnapping schemes orchestrated by the syndicate.
Under the arrangement, the victims were compelled to contact their relatives back home while pretending they had been kidnapped, thereby pressurised family members to pay ransom into accounts controlled by the suspects.
Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives on May 7, 2026, raided identified hideouts along Barrister Road, Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State, leading to the rescue of 30 victims, all identified as Malian nationals, and the arrest of the suspects.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking, transnational organised crime, and other forms of exploitation, assuring the public that all individuals connected to the criminal network would be brought to justice.
