The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) 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 linked to the criminal network.
In a statement Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid saidthe operation marked a major breakthrough in the fight against organised cross-border crime and exploitation.
The suspects arrested include Abdul Ngaki, identified as the alleged kingpin of the syndicate, 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.
Police investigations reportedly began after intelligence indicated that several foreign nationals had gone missing in Nigeria under suspicious circumstances.
Preliminary findings revealed that the syndicate allegedly targeted vulnerable youths from West African countries, particularly Mali and Gabon, with false promises of migration opportunities to Europe and lucrative employment offers in Nigeria.
Victims were reportedly persuaded to pay processing and transportation fees before being moved to residential hideouts in Mararaba and Karu areas of Nasarawa State, where they were allegedly subjected to exploitative and restrictive conditions.
Investigators further discovered that victims who failed to meet additional financial demands were allegedly forced into staged kidnapping schemes orchestrated by the syndicate. Under the arrangement, the victims were compelled to contact relatives in their home countries while pretending to have been abducted, thereby pressuring family members to pay ransom into accounts controlled by the suspects.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) carried out coordinated raids on May 7, 2026, at identified hideouts along Barrister Road, Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State. The operation led to the rescue of 30 victims, all identified as Malian nationals, and the arrest of 13 suspects allegedly connected to the syndicate.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking, transnational organised crime, and all forms of exploitation, assuring the public that all individuals linked to the criminal network would be brought to justice.
