The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 13 suspects and rescued 30 Malian nationals in a transnational human trafficking and fraud syndicate operating between Nigeria and other West African countries.
The suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), led by Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Adamu Muazu, following a coordinated 17-day intelligence-led operation.
Those arrested include Abdul Ngaki, Fatimah Kulibali, Ahmad Kasango, Sidibe Musa, Muhammad Dembele, Saidu Traore, Ali Koulibaly, Abdul Ngeki, Ahmed Sirma, Laya Bando, Isha Dembele, Abi Togo, and Awa Tesure.
Parading the suspects in Abuja, Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Okon Placid, said the operation followed a petition from the Association of Malian Citizens in Nigeria over the disappearance of several nationals under suspicious circumstances.
‘The investigation into the case commenced following a formal petition submitted to the Nigeria Police Force by the Association of Malian citizens in Nigeria regarding the disappearance of several Malian nationals within Nigeria under suspicious circumstances’, Placid said.
He explained that preliminary findings revealed a pattern in which victims, after being reported missing, resurfaced through distress calls to relatives, claiming to have been kidnapped and demanding ransom payments.
‘In response, operatives of the Intelligence Response Team initiated a diligent investigation involving both geo-spatial technical intelligence and human intelligence operations’, he said.
According to him, the investigation uncovered a sophisticated transnational trafficking and fraud network operating within the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring communities.
The police spokesperson said the syndicate allegedly lured victims from Mali, Gabon, and other West African countries with promises of travel opportunities to Europe, particularly Spain, or high-paying jobs in Nigeria.
He said victims were made to pay about ₦120,000 as transportation and processing fees upon arrival, after which they were taken to residential apartments in Mararaba and Karu in Nasarawa State.
‘At these locations, they had their movements restricted and were compelled to make additional payments amounting to ₦150,000 under the guise of investment fees for wellness products and business schemes,” he said.
Placid further explained that victims who could not pay were allegedly forced into staged kidnapping schemes, where they were made to contact relatives and fake abduction scenarios in order to demand ransom payments.
‘Those victims, unable to make additional payments, were subsequently coerced into participating in staged kidnapping schemes orchestrated by the syndicate’, he said.
He added that operatives raided two residential locations along Barrister Road in Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State, on 7 May 2026, rescuing 30 victims and arresting 13 suspects linked to the operation.
The police said investigations are ongoing to uncover other members of the network and possible international links.
