The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has rescued 30 foreign nationals and arrested 13 suspects in a transnational organised crime.

This followed the dismantling of a human trafficking and fraudulent syndicate operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring communities.

Those arrested include Abdul Ngaki, identified as the principal suspect and syndicate leader, 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.

The police said investigations had started following the disappearance of several foreign nationals in Nigeria under suspicious circumstances.

Preliminary findings, according to the police, show that the syndicate targeted vulnerable young persons from West African countries, particularly Mali and Gabon, with false promises of migration opportunities to Europe and lucrative employment in Nigeria.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Placid said victims were induced to pay processing and transportation fees before being conveyed to residential locations in Mararaba and Karu, Nasarawa State, where they were held under exploitative and restrictive conditions.

Further investigations, Placid said, established that victims who could not meet additional financial demands were coerced into participating in staged kidnapping schemes orchestrated by the syndicate.

He said investigation showed that the victims were forced to contact relatives in their home countries while pretending to have been kidnapped, thereby compelling family members to remit ransom into accounts controlled by the syndicate.

Acting on credible intelligence, Placid said: “Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) conducted coordinated operations on 7th May 2026 at identified hideouts along Barrister Road, Rugan Dakachi, Nasarawa State, leading to the rescue of 30 victims, all identified as Malian nationals, and the arrest of 13 suspects connected to the operation.

“The Nigeria Police Force its commitment to combating human trafficking, transnational organised crime, and all forms of exploitation, while assuring members of the public that all persons connected to the criminal network will be brought to justice”. (The Nation)