A Lagos Chief Magistrate's Court has ordered the remand of eight citizens from four West African nations in a correctional facility.
The suspects — four Ghanaians, one Ivorian, one Beninian, and two Burkinabes- were apprehended following a meticulously planned intelligence operation spearheaded by the International Police (Interpol) section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annexe, Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
Chief Magistrate Azeez Alogba ordered the remand of the eight individuals for an initial period of 30 days.
The order, which will enable Interpol to conclude its intensive investigation, was sequel to two separate motions ex parte, marked M/470/2025 and M/496/2025, filed by the police legal officer, Morufu Animashaun.
The remanded suspects are identified as: Gabriella Ewenam (F, 25, Ghanaian); Oscar Semekor (M, 25, Ghanaian); David Abban (M, 25, Ghanaian); Tefutor Obed (M, 25, Ghanaian); Dissa Latif (M, 22, Ivorian); Gnango Gerrad (M, 26, Benin); Niamba Kikao (M, 23, Burkinabe); and Kalizeta Zon (F, 22, Burkinabe).
Animashaun, representing the ForceCID, moved the motions before the court, citing the necessity of the remand under various sections of the Lagos State laws, the Police Act, and the Nigerian Constitution.
He informed the court that the investigation, led by Commissioner of Police (CP) Bode Ojajuni, in charge of the Interpol Section FCID Annexe, was carried out in synergy with Interpol counterparts in the suspects’ home countries.
The allegations against the group are extensive, covering two distinct but related cases of transnational crime.
According to an affidavit deposed to by Inspector Sanusi Akindele, one of the Investigating Police Officers (IPO), the suspects were arrested in connection with a case of Conspiracy, Human Trafficking, and Obtaining Money by False Pretence.
The investigation, which stemmed from a request for assistance received from the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Accra, Ghana, detailed a disturbing scheme.
A victim was allegedly lured and trafficked from Ghana to Nigeria under the false premise of procuring a Canadian Work Permit Visa.
In the process, the suspects reportedly obtained the sum of $1,007 USD, which is approximately N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira), from the victim's father.
Inspector Akindele stated that the suspects’ “antics and practices” were to lure the victim to Nigeria.
He said tracking devices were used to lead detectives to the suspects at the Alatise Area of Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, where the victim was successfully rescued on October 1, 2025.
In the supporting affidavit, IPO Inspector Oyebisi Oni averred that this case was reported and received from NCB Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
He said, the victims, who were invited and volunteered statements to the police, narrated how they were kidnapped and subsequently forced to pay a ransom before securing their freedom in the Badagry Area of Lagos State and the Ijebu-Ode Area of Ogun State.
The police statement highlighted that the group's “antics and practice” were to lure victims from the Republic of Benin and other African countries under the pretence of procuring European travel documents, only to kidnap them and extort a ransom.
According to the affidavit, the demanded and received ransom was a staggering N4,700,000.00 CFA, equivalent to approximately N12,220,000.00 (Twelve Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira).
The affidavit revealed that the funds were transferred through various mobile money bank accounts, including those allegedly belonging to the Beninous suspect, Gnango Gerrad, and the Burkinabe suspect, Kalizeta Zon.
After hearing Animashaun's submissions and reviewing the supporting documents, Magistrate Alogba granted the police’s application, ordering the eight foreign nationals to be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre for 30 days.
The case has been adjourned until November 17, 2025, awaiting the DPP’s advice on the charges to be formally filed against the suspects.
#HumanTrafficking #LagosCourt #Interpol #WestAfricaCrime #Kidnapping #CrossBorderCrime #NigeriaNews
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