The Nigeria Police Force has rescued 25 Ivorian nationals from a cross-border kidnapping syndicate operating in Ogun State. The operation, executed in collaboration with Interpol, also led to the arrest of eight suspects.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed the development in a statement on Friday.
He explained that the operation followed a formal request from the National Central Bureau (NCB), Abidjan, prompted by a report from Kaussi Marianman.
Marianman had alleged that her son, Ladji Yoa Pierre, was lured to Nigeria under the pretext of securing travel documents to Belgium by individuals identified as Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga.
According to Adejobi, “The operation was triggered by a report filed on April 23rd, 2025, by Mrs. Kaussi Amenan Marianman at NCB Abidjan alleging that her son, Ladji Yoa Pierre, had been lured to Nigeria under false pretenses by some individuals who were later identified as Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga, promised to facilitate his travel documents to Belgium.
“Once in Nigeria, Ladji Yoa Pierre was held captive, with the abductors demanding a ransom of two million five hundred CFA (equivalent to six million six hundred and twenty-five thousand Naira).”
In response, the Commissioner of Police, INTERPOL Annex Lagos, Bode Ojajuni, deployed a team of seasoned investigators to locate the suspects and rescue the victims.
Adejobi added, “On May 5th, 2025, the team successfully stormed the hideout of the abductors rescuing two victims and apprehended two suspects at Osehi Hotel, located at Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State. Subsequent operation conducted at Ejegun Itele, Ado-odo-Ota resulted in the rescue of 23 additional victims, including the said Ladji Yoa Pierre, and the arrest of six more suspects.”
Following the successful rescue, Pierre was reunited with his mother who travelled to Nigeria from Côte d’Ivoire. The remaining 24 victims were handed over to the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Zone A Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, for further investigation and processing.
“The eight apprehended suspects are in Police custody undergoing investigation for possible prosecution,” Adejobi noted.
He also revealed that the Head of NCB Abidjan, in a letter dated May 6, 2025, conveyed appreciation to the Nigeria Police Force and Interpol for the successful rescue mission and expressed hopes for stronger collaboration in combating trans-border crimes.
