Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have rescued 25 Ivorian nationals from a notorious cross-border kidnapping syndicate operating in Ogun State.
The Force, working in collaboration with Interpol, also arrested eight suspects connected to the abduction.
The breakthrough came following a coordinated operation launched in response to a formal request from the National Central Bureau, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement .
He revealed that the operation was triggered by a report filed on April 23, 2025, by one Kaussi Amenan Marianman. Marianman had informed the police that her son, Ladji Yoa Pierre, was lured into Nigeria under the guise of securing travel documents to Belgium.
Pierre, according to the police, was deceived by two suspects, Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga, who held him captive upon arrival and demanded a ransom of 2.5 million CFA francs (approximately ₦6.6m).
“Upon receiving the request from NCB Abidjan, the Commissioner of Police INTERPOL Annex, Lagos, CP Bode Ojajuni, deployed a team of trained investigators to track and rescue the victim as well as apprehend the suspects,” Adejobi said.
The operatives stormed Osehi Hotel in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, on May 5, 2025, where they rescued two victims and arrested two suspects.
A follow-up raid at Ejegun Itele in the same locality led to the rescue of 23 additional victims, including Pierre, and the arrest of six more suspects.
Following the operation, Pierre was reunited with his mother who travelled from Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria.
The remaining rescued victims were handed over to the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Zone A, Ikeja, for further processing.
“The eight apprehended suspects are currently in custody and undergoing investigation for possible prosecution,” Adejobi added.
In a letter dated May 6, 2025, the Head of NCB Abidjan commended the Nigeria Police Force and Interpol Unit for what it described as a “brilliant operation.”
The agency also expressed its readiness to deepen collaboration with Nigerian authorities to combat trans-border crimes.
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