Police Smash Transnational Trafficking Ring in Nasarawa, Rescue 30 Malians

​ABUJA — Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have dismantled a sophisticated transnational human trafficking and fraudulent exploitation syndicate operating across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring Nasarawa State.

​The high-stakes crackdown culminated in the rescue of 30 foreign nationals, all identified as Malian citizens, and the arrest of 13 suspected members of the illicit network.

​According to an official statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anthony Okon Placid, the breakthrough followed a rigorous intelligence-driven investigation into the suspicious disappearance of several foreign nationals within Nigeria.

​Police identified the suspected kingpin and leader of the syndicate as Abdul Ngaki. Other suspects taken into custody during the raid include 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.

​Modus Operandi Exposed

​Preliminary police investigations revealed that the syndicate explicitly targeted vulnerable young individuals across West African countries, primarily from Mali and Gabon. The victims were lured into the network with deceitful promises of lucrative employment opportunities in Nigeria or seamless migration pathways to Europe.

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​Upon falling for the ruse, the unsuspecting victims were made to pay hefty processing and transport fees. Instead of the promised opportunities, they were transported to secure residential hideouts in the Karu and Mararaba axes of Nasarawa State, where they were held under severely restrictive, exploitative conditions.

​Coerced Kidnapping Schemes

​In a bizarre and deeply extortionate twist, investigators discovered that the syndicate subjected victims who ran out of funds to psychological coercion, forcing them into staged kidnapping plots.

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

​Under the direct supervision of their captors, the victims were forced to place frantic calls to their families back in their home countries, claiming they had been abducted in Nigeria. The panicked relatives were then instructed to remit ransom payments directly into bank accounts managed and controlled by the syndicate.

​The Raid

​Following days of surveillance and credible intelligence gathering, IRT operatives launched a coordinated tactical assault on May 7, 2026. The sting operation targeted a designated criminal fortress located along Barrister Road in the Rugan Dakachi area of Nasarawa State.

​The operation successfully neutralized the camp’s security, liberating all 30 Malian victims without casualties and securing the immediate arrest of the 13 targeted suspects.

​The Nigeria Police Force has reaffirmed its unwavering stance against transnational organized crime, human trafficking, and cross-border exploitation. The police high command assured the public that comprehensive prosecution strategies are underway to ensure everyone connected to the criminal architecture faces the full wrath of the law.