Ogun State Police Dismantle Transnational Travel Fraud Syndicate After Rescuing Nine Foreign Nationals

Ogun State Police arrest two suspects and rescue nine foreign nationals lured to Nigeria by a syndicate promising fraudulent travel to Europe.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 9:57 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Daily Post Nigeria

Coordinated Raid On Criminal Hideout

Operatives from the Ogun State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit executed a successful rescue mission on Monday, targeting a hideout used by a transnational fraud syndicate. The intervention took place in the Owode Egba area after law enforcement received actionable intelligence regarding the illegal confinement of foreign citizens. During the operation, two primary suspects, identified as Stephen Kwame and Abubakar Sulaimon, were taken into custody.

INTERPOL Intelligence Triggers Mobilization

The breakthrough in the case came through a high level security alert provided by INTERPOL, which flagged the unlawful detention of 40 year old Ghanaian national Maclaud Owusu. According to Police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi, the specialized unit mobilized at approximately 12:00 PM on April 6, 2026, to storm the identified location. The precision of the raid resulted in the safe recovery of Owusu along with eight other foreign nationals who were being held under similar fraudulent circumstances.

Deceptive Tactics And Financial Exploitation

The syndicate reportedly operated by luring victims to Nigeria under the guise of facilitating easy travel to Europe. Once the foreigners arrived, the suspects allegedly seized their mobile phones and used them to contact relatives in their home countries to demand further payments. Before the police intervention, the principal victim, Maclaud Owusu, had already been defrauded of 31,000 Ghana Cedis. The victims were kept in confinement while the syndicate systematically drained their financial resources through false pretenses.