Segun Atanda/
The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered a transnational criminal syndicate allegedly involved in staging fake kidnappings to extort ransom from unsuspecting families abroad, leading to the arrest of eight foreign nationals in a major intelligence-led operation in the Agbado area of the state.
The suspects, who are citizens of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire and the Republic of Benin, were apprehended by detectives attached to the Ifo Divisional Police Headquarters following investigations into what was initially reported as a kidnapping case.
Those arrested are 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 Ogun State Police Command, the suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation led by the Divisional Police Officer of Ifo Division, CSP Olabisi Kamorudeen, after detectives uncovered what they described as a carefully orchestrated fake abduction scheme designed to defraud relatives of victims living outside Nigeria.
The investigation began after a concerned informant reported on June 6, 2026, that Cheik El-Mehdi had contacted his family abroad in May, claiming he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and demanding ransom for his release.
Police said the alleged plot was reinforced by Zakaria Zawadogo, who reportedly contacted the family and threatened that the supposed victim would be killed if the ransom was not paid.
Acting on the information, detectives launched an intelligence-driven investigation that traced the suspects to a hideout in Adiyan Town, Agbado.
Police operatives subsequently arrested Zawadogo, who reportedly led investigators to the location where the remaining suspects were hiding.
A search of the premises and further interrogations revealed that the alleged kidnapping was entirely staged as part of a coordinated criminal enterprise aimed at extracting money from the victim’s relatives.
Investigators said preliminary findings showed that Suren Neta allegedly lured El-Mehdi into Nigeria, while Zawadogo coordinated the ransom demands and threats. The purported victim was also found to have actively participated in the conspiracy.
The Command disclosed that the three principal suspects, Zawadogo, El-Mehdi and Neta, have confessed to their roles in the scheme.
Police authorities said investigations are continuing to determine the full scope of the syndicate’s operations and whether it has links to other transnational criminal networks operating within and outside Nigeria.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further discreet investigation.
Commending the detectives for the breakthrough, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, CP Bode Ojajuni, praised the professionalism, discipline and swift intelligence-led response that led to the dismantling of the criminal network.
Ojajuni noted that the case underscores the growing sophistication of transnational organised crime and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to proactive policing, intelligence gathering and collaboration with relevant agencies to combat criminal activities.
He assured residents that Ogun State would remain hostile to criminal elements and urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities, particularly incidents involving alleged kidnappings and ransom demands.
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