The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered a suspected transnational fraud ring involving eight foreign nationals accused of staging kidnappings to extort ransom from relatives living abroad.
The suspects were apprehended during an intelligence-driven operation in Adiyan, Agbado area of the state, following investigations into a reported abduction that was later discovered to be fabricated.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed on Monday that the operation was launched after security agencies received information that a Mauritanian national had contacted his family overseas, claiming he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and needed ransom for his release.
According to Babaseyi, detectives subsequently uncovered a coordinated scheme in which the supposed victim and his accomplices allegedly worked together to deceive family members into sending money.
Those arrested include Zakaria Zawadogo, 34, from Burkina Faso; Cheik El-Mehdi, 23, from Mauritania; Suren Neta, 25; Koffi Breno, 36; Gondo Treso, 32; Kougasi John; and Hemue Blinsi, 30, all from Côte d’Ivoire, as well as Kunuji Ezekiel, 27, from the Republic of Benin.
Babaseyi explained that the case originated from a report filed on June 6 by an informant who alerted the police that El-Mehdi had, in May, informed his family that he had been abducted in Nigeria.
Investigators alleged that Zawadogo later reinforced the claim by contacting the victim’s relatives and threatening that the purported hostage would be killed if ransom was not paid.
Acting on the intelligence, police operatives launched surveillance operations that led to the arrest of the alleged syndicate leader, whose interrogation subsequently led detectives to other members of the group.
Preliminary findings, according to the police, revealed that the operation was carefully orchestrated, with different members assigned specific roles.
Investigators alleged that Neta facilitated El-Mehdi’s entry into Nigeria, while Zawadogo coordinated communications with family members and handled ransom demands.
The police further stated that the supposed victim actively participated in the plot and was not an actual kidnapping victim.
Babaseyi said key suspects had confessed to their involvement, while efforts were ongoing to determine whether the group had links to other criminal networks operating across national borders.
“The matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, , commended the detectives involved in the operation, particularly the team led by CSP Olabisi Kamorudeen, for exposing the alleged criminal enterprise.
He noted that the case underscored the growing sophistication of cross-border criminal activities and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and the dismantling of organised crime networks.
The police chief also urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious ransom demands or alleged kidnapping cases that may be part of fraudulent schemes.
The development comes days after the Ogun State Police Command clarified that the arrest of 38 Ivorian nationals in Atan-Ota was unrelated to terrorism or banditry allegations circulated on social media.
Police had explained that the foreign nationals were arrested during a separate operation after they were unable to provide valid means of identification.