Police Bust Human Trafficking Ring, Arrest Son Over Father’s Kidnap in Major Crime Crackdown.

By Ifeyinwa Austine

The Nigeria Police Force has recorded major breakthroughs in its ongoing fight against organised crime, dismantling a transnational human trafficking syndicate, arresting suspects linked to a shocking family-backed kidnapping plot, and apprehending a domestic worker accused of masterminding a luxury robbery operation in Abuja.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Force Intelligence Department, Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) Headquarters in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, said the operations reflected the growing sophistication of criminal activities and the determination of the police to confront them through intelligence-led policing.

Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team dismantled a trans-border human trafficking and fraudulent exploitation network operating within the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring communities in Nasarawa State.

Thirteen suspects were arrested during the operation, including the alleged syndicate leader, Abdul Ngaki, while 30 victims, all identified as Malian Nationals, were rescued from exploitative conditions.

Police investigations revealed that the syndicate targeted vulnerable youths from West African countries, particularly Mali and Gabon, by luring them with false promises of travel opportunities to Europe or lucrative jobs in Nigeria.

Victims were allegedly made to pay about N120,000 as transportation and processing fees before being moved to locations in Mararaba and Karu, Nasarawa State, where they were confined and pressured to pay an additional N150,000 under the guise of investment schemes.

Those unable to make the payments were reportedly forced into staged kidnapping operations, where they contacted relatives abroad pretending to have been abducted in order to extort ransom payments.

The police said the breakthrough followed a petition by the Association of Malian Citizens in Nigeria over the disappearance of several nationals.

In another shocking development, police uncovered a kidnapping syndicate involving family members who allegedly orchestrated the abduction of their own father and grandfather for financial gain.

Two suspects, Musa Adamu and Yusuf Rabo, were arrested, while another suspect, Ali Haruna, remains at large.

Police disclosed that the victim was kidnapped twice, with ransom payments of N2 million and N4.5 million collected on separate occasions.

The Commander Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Adamu Saidu Muazu, also confirmed the arrest of a 41-year-old chef, John Cosmos Govi, accused of conspiring with accomplices to drug his employer’s family and steal valuables worth millions of naira.

According to investigators, Govi secured employment as a chef in the residence of an Abuja-based engineer, Kassim Abu Amjad, after allegedly linking up with two accomplices from Benin Republic identified simply as Peter and Moses.

Speaking on the need for residents to be careful whom they employ as domestic staff and the need to carry out proper investigation before employment, DCP Muazu urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, especially when employing domestic staff or dealing with unfamiliar agents.

The Nigeria Police Force assured Nigerians that investigations into all three cases are ongoing, with efforts intensified to arrest fleeing suspects, dismantle associated criminal networks, and ensure diligent prosecution.

The Force stressed that public cooperation remains critical in combating crime nationwide.