The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), successfully rescued 25 Ivorians from a cross-border kidnapping syndicate operating in Ogun State, following a formal alert from the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the operation was initiated after a woman, Kaussi Amenan Marianman, reported that her son, Ladji Yoa Pierre, had been deceived into travelling to Nigeria by two men, Simon Oliver and Michael Odunga, who claimed they would help him secure travel documents to Belgium.
“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,” Adejobi said.
He continued, “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).”
Following the report, the Commissioner of Police at the Interpol Annex in Lagos, CP Bode Ojajuni, swiftly deployed a team of seasoned investigators to trace the victim and apprehend the culprits.
On May 5, 2025, officers raided Osehi Hotel in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, where they rescued two victims and arrested two suspects. A subsequent operation at Ejegun Itele in the same area led to the rescue of 23 more victims—including Pierre himself—and the arrest of six additional suspects.
“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,” Adejobi noted.
“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.”
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Following the rescue, Pierre was reunited with his mother, who travelled from Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, while the remaining 24 victims were handed over to the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration at the Zone A Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, for further documentation and repatriation processes.
“The eight apprehended suspects are in Police custody undergoing investigation for possible prosecution,” Adejobi added.
In appreciation, the Head of NCB Abidjan, in a letter dated May 6, 2025, commended the Nigeria Police Force and the Interpol Unit for their swift response, describing the operation as “brilliant” and expressing hope for stronger collaboration between both agencies in combating cross-border crimes.
