Abeokuta – The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered a transnational criminal syndicate allegedly involved in staging kidnappings to extort ransom from unsuspecting families abroad, leading to the arrest of eight foreign nationals.

The suspects were arrested during an intelligence-led operation carried out by detectives attached to the Ifo Divisional Police Headquarters in Adiyan Town, Agbado area of Ogun State.

Those arrested include Zakaria Zawadogo, 34, from Burkina Faso; Cheik El-Mehdi, 23, from Mauritania; Suren Neta, 25, from Côte d’Ivoire; Koffi Breno, 36, from Côte d’Ivoire; Gondo Treso, 32, from Côte d’Ivoire; Kunuji Ezekiel, 27, from the Republic of Benin; Kougasi John from Côte d’Ivoire; and Hemue Blinsi, 30, also from Côte d’Ivoire.

According to the police, the suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence and sustained surveillance into a reported kidnapping case that was later discovered to be a carefully orchestrated hoax designed to obtain ransom payments from victims’ relatives overseas.

The breakthrough followed a report received on June 6, 2026, from a concerned informant who alerted authorities that a 23-year-old Mauritanian national, Cheik El-Mehdi, had contacted his family in May, claiming he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and demanding ransom for his release.

Police investigations revealed that another suspect, Zakaria Zawadogo, allegedly reinforced the false claim by threatening the victim’s family and warning that the purported hostage would be killed if the ransom was not paid.

Acting on the intelligence, detectives led by the Divisional Police Officer of Ifo Division, CSP Olabisi Kamorudeen, launched an investigation that culminated in the arrest of the suspects at their hideout in Adiyan Town.

The Ogun State Police Command said preliminary findings indicate that the group operated as a coordinated transnational syndicate specializing in staging fake abductions and using threats and deception to extort money from relatives of supposed victims living abroad.

Police authorities noted that the swift intervention of investigators prevented what could have become a successful cross-border financial fraud operation.

The command added that investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope of the syndicate’s activities, identify additional accomplices, and establish whether similar incidents have been carried out in other parts of Nigeria or beyond.

The suspects are expected to be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.