The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has rescued 23 foreign nationals from captivity and arrested 14 suspected kidnappers during an intelligence-led operation in Nasarawa State.
In a statement on Friday, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the operation took place around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba.
According to the police, the victims were lured into Nigeria under false promises of lucrative job offers, only to be held hostage by their abductors who demanded ransom from their families through WhatsApp and other online platforms.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate was run by a transnational criminal kingpin, Abubakar Jigiba who operates across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria and his brother, Sougule Zoubere, who handled recruitment and smuggling from Mali into Nigeria.
The group allegedly demanded four million CFA (₦10 million) for each victim and confined them in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.
The rescued victims 14 men, eight women, and a child were found unharmed, except for one who sustained a minor ear injury and was treated at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Those arrested include Bubakari Cisse, Karamogo Dembele, Musa Kamsoko, Amadou Traore, Sareba Traore, Zoumana Diara, Umar Koulibaly, Alasgara Sagara, Berthe Saidu, Abdullahi Napo, Isah Goita, Lorita Traore, Mohammed Siaaibe, and Haruna Dembele.
The command confirmed that efforts are underway to capture Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
Commending the operatives, the Commissioner of Police, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, urged residents to stay vigilant and report suspicious movements, reiterating that the raid was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks and prevent kidnapping around border communities in the FCT.
