The Ogun State Police Command has dismantled a suspected transnational criminal network accused of staging fake kidnappings and extorting ransom payments from relatives living both in Nigeria and overseas.
Eight foreign nationals were arrested during a coordinated intelligence-led operation in the Agbado area of Ogun State after police uncovered what they described as a carefully planned abduction scam.
The suspects identified by police are 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; and Kunuji Ezekiel, 27, from the Republic of Benin.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, the investigation began after authorities received a complaint on June 6, 2026. An informant reported that one of the suspects had contacted family members abroad, claiming he had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom for his release.
The report immediately triggered an intelligence operation by detectives attached to the Ifo Divisional Headquarters. Investigators traced the suspects to a hideout in Adiyan Town, Agbado, where they were arrested.
Babaseyi said the swift response prevented what could have become a successful international financial fraud operation.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives of Ifo Division immediately activated an intelligence-driven investigation. This swift response proved decisive in uncovering the location of the suspects and preventing what could have resulted in a successful cross-border financial crime,” he said.
Preliminary findings suggest the group allegedly operated a coordinated scheme in which fake kidnappings were staged to deceive relatives into paying ransom money for victims who were never actually abducted.
Reacting to the breakthrough, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, CP Bode Ojajuni, praised the officers involved in the operation and warned that criminal groups are increasingly adopting sophisticated methods to target victims across borders.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and vowed that efforts to combat organised and transnational crime in Ogun State would be intensified.
Police said investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the syndicate’s activities and identify possible accomplices linked to the operation.
