Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have arrested fourteen suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three foreign nationals held hostage in Nasarawa State.
The breakthrough operation, which was led by the Command’s Scorpion Squad, took place at about 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the police, the rescued victims, consisting of fourteen males, eight females, and one child, were allegedly trafficked into Nigeria under the guise of securing lucrative employment. However, upon their arrival, their captors held them against their will and contacted their families abroad via WhatsApp and other online platforms to demand ransom payments.
Adeh said preliminary investigations revealed that the criminal syndicate is run by a transnational kingpin identified as Abubakar Jigiba, who reportedly operates across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, was described as the handler responsible for recruiting, transporting, and smuggling victims from Mali into Nigeria.
The victims were said to have been trafficked through illegal border routes for a journey lasting about three days before they were confined in two secured two-bedroom apartments where they were held in inhumane conditions.
“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address where a total number of twenty-three (23) victims, comprising fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females, and one (1) child, all unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for medical attention, were rescued,” Adeh stated.
She added that all arrested suspects are currently in custody, assisting police investigations.
Meanwhile, the police said efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend the syndicate leader, Abubakar Jigiba, believed to be currently outside Nigeria.
The FCT Police Command assured residents that it remains committed to dismantling networks of organized kidnapping and human trafficking operating within and around the Federal Capital Territory
