Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with Interpol, have successfully rescued 25 citizens of Ivory Coast from a cross-border kidnapping ring operating within Ogun State.
The rescue operation also led to the arrest of eight suspects believed to be part of the transnational criminal syndicate.
According to a statement released on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police action followed a formal alert from the National Central Bureau in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The alarm was raised by Kaussi Marianman, who reported that her son, Ladji Yoa Pierre, had been deceived into traveling to Nigeria with false promises of assistance in obtaining travel documents to Belgium, offered by two men identified as Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga.
“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 pretences by some individuals who were later identified as Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga, who 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),” the statement read.
In swift response, Commissioner of Police, Interpol Annex, Lagos, Bode Ojajuni, mobilized a team of seasoned investigators to locate the syndicate’s hideout and rescue the hostages.
The first breakthrough came on May 5, 2025, when the police team stormed Osehi Hotel in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, freeing two victims and arresting two suspects.
A second operation conducted at Ejegun Itele in the same locality yielded even greater success, 23 more victims, including Pierre, were rescued, and six additional suspects were taken into custody.
“Upon receiving the request from NCB Abidjan, the Commissioner of Police Interpol, Annexe, Lagos, CP Bode Ojajuni PSC, immediately deployed a team of trained investigators to rescue the victim and apprehend his abductors.
“On May 5, 2025, the team successfully stormed the hideout of the abductors, rescuing two victims and apprehending 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,” Adejobi said.
Following the successful operation, Pierre was reunited with his mother, who travelled to Nigeria from Côte d’Ivoire.
The other 24 rescued victims were handed over to the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration at Zone A Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, for further action.
In a letter dated May 6, 2025, the Head of NCB Abidjan extended heartfelt thanks to the Nigeria Police Force and the Interpol Unit, praising the “brilliant operation” and reaffirming commitment to ongoing cooperation in tackling cross-border criminal activities.
