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The Ogun State Police Command says it has arrested eight foreign nationals suspected of involvement in a staged abduction scheme and ransom fraud targeting victims abroad.
In a statement on Monday, the Command said the suspects are members of a transnational criminal network that staged fake kidnappings to extort money from families outside Nigeria.
PRESS RELEASE
OGUN POLICE DETECTIVES UNCOVER TRANSNATIONAL FAKE KIDNAPPING SYNDICATE, ARREST EIGHT FOREIGN NATIONALS OVER STAGED ABDUCTION AND RANSOM FRAUD
Detectives attached to Ifo Division of the Ogun State Police Command, led by CSP Olabisi Kamorudeen, the Divisional Police… pic.twitter.com/2Ch7qdXLhV
— Ogun State Police Command (@OgunPoliceNG) June 8, 2026
Five of the suspects, identified as Suren Neta, Koffi Breno, Gondo Treso, Kougasi John and Hemue Blinsi, are nationals of Côte d’Ivoire. Others include Zakaria Zawadogo from Burkina Faso, Cheik El-Mehdi from Mauritania, and Kunuji Ezekiel from the Republic of Benin.
Police said the suspects were arrested during an intelligence-led operation in the Adiyan, Agbado area of the state.
According to the Command, a complaint was received on June 6, 2026, after a Mauritanian national, Cheik El-Mehdi, allegedly contacted his family claiming he had been abducted in Nigeria and demanding ransom for his release.
The statement added that another suspect, Zakaria Zawadogo, later reinforced the demand and issued threats that the victim would be killed if payment was not made.
“The breakthrough followed a report received on June 6, 2026, from a concerned informant, who alerted the Police that a 23-year-old Mauritanian national, Cheik El-Mehdi, had contacted his family abroad in May 2026 claiming he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and demanding ransom for his release,” the statement reads.
“Shortly after, another suspect, Zakaria Zawadogo, reinforced the demand with threats that the victim would be killed if the ransom was not paid.”
Police said detectives immediately launched an investigation which led to the location of the suspects and the prevention of what they described as a cross-border financial crime. Operatives were deployed to the identified location where Zawadogo was first arrested, after which he allegedly led investigators to the group’s hideout, resulting in the arrest of the remaining suspects.
“Acting on this intelligence, operatives were swiftly mobilised to the location, where Zakaria Zawadogo was arrested,” the statement reads.
The Command said preliminary findings showed the operation was a coordinated scam involving a staged kidnapping designed to defraud the victim’s family.
Investigators further alleged that Suren Neta brought Cheik El-Mehdi into Nigeria, while Zawadogo coordinated ransom demands and threats to pressure the family into payment. It also stated that the supposed victim participated in the arrangement.
“It was further established that Suren Neta lured Cheik El-Mehdi into Nigeria, while Zakaria Zawadogo coordinated the ransom demands and issued threats to compel payment,” the command said.
“The purported victim was also found to have actively participated in the orchestration of the fake abduction.”
Police said the three principal suspects have admitted involvement, while investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the syndicate’s activities and possible links to other criminal networks.
The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further discreet investigation.
Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the officers involved for what he described as a successful intelligence-led operation that uncovered and dismantled the fraud scheme. He said the case reflects the growing sophistication of transnational crime and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to proactive policing and cross-border cooperation to tackle organised criminal activity.
