Mirian Gom 
Rescued victims. (Photo credit: FCT command)
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has rescued 23 foreign nationals and arrested 14 suspected kidnappers during an intelligence-led operation in Nasarawa State.
The rescue took place around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, according to a statement issued on Friday by the FCT Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh.
Adeh said the victims were lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative employment before being held hostage and forced to contact relatives for ransom payments via WhatsApp and other digital platforms.
Preliminary investigations linked the syndicate to Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with networks in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. His brother, Sougule Zoubere, allegedly coordinated recruitment and movement of victims from Mali to Nigeria.
“The group demanded four million CFA (₦10 million) for each victim. They were housed in two fortified apartments and kept under inhumane conditions,” the statement noted.
The victims—14 men, eight women, and one child—were rescued unharmed, except one with a minor ear injury currently receiving treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The 14 arrested suspects were paraded, while efforts continue to apprehend Jigiba and Zoubere, who remain at large.
FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, commended the Scorpion Squad and urged residents to report suspicious activity as authorities intensify security operations across border communities in Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada.
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