…14 Suspects Arrested, Kingpin on the Run
In a major breakthrough against cross-border crime, operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command’s Scorpion Squad have rescued twenty-three (23) foreign nationals from a transnational kidnapping ring and arrested fourteen (14) suspects linked to the syndicate.
The intelligence-led operation was conducted around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba in Nasarawa State.
According to a statement by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, ANIPR, the victims—comprising fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females, and one (1) child—were all rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.
The police explained that the victims were lured from Mali into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers, only to be held captive by the syndicate, who demanded ransoms through WhatsApp and other digital platforms.
Preliminary investigations identified one Abubakar Jigiba as the mastermind behind the network. Jigiba, described as a notorious transnational criminal with known residences in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria, allegedly coordinated the operation with his younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, who managed recruitment and trafficking from Mali. The gang reportedly demanded four million CFA (₦10 million) for each victim.
“The victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes over a three-day journey and kept in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions,” Adeh said.
Those arrested include Bubakari Cisse (40), Karamogo Dembele (25), Musa Kamsoko (23), Amadou Traore (25), Sareba Traore (24), Zoumana Diara (23), Umar Koulibaly (26), Alasgara Sagara (20), Berthe Saidu (23), Abdullahi Napo (32), Isah Goita (26), Lorita Traore (22), Mohammed Siaaibe (23), and Haruna Dembele (37).
The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, psc, praised the Scorpion Squad for the swift operation and urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements via emergency numbers: 08032003913, 08028940883, or CRU 08107314192.
Efforts, he said, are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing kingpin, Jigiba, and his brother, Zoubere.
