Police Nab Two Most Wanted Fugitives in Nigeria Over Human Trafficking, Dubai Robberies

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two high-profile fugitives wanted by international authorities for serious crimes including human trafficking and armed robbery.

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja. He said the arrests were made following strategic intelligence and coordinated enforcement operations by Nigerian police operatives and their international counterparts.

According to Adejobi, one of the suspects is the alleged kingpin of a human trafficking network declared wanted by Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on December 19, 2023.

“The suspect, who was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, is the mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking syndicate that smuggled young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy before distributing them across Europe for sexual exploitation,” Adejobi said.

He further explained that the victims were coerced through voodoo-based oaths and psychological manipulation, with fabricated debts ranging from £20,000 to £50,000 used to entrap them.

“The suspect maintained a sophisticated network with handlers in Brussels and France who oversaw the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him,” he added.

Adejobi revealed that the suspect had been convicted in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and for leading a criminal organisation.

“Upon his arrest, a search of his premises uncovered incriminating evidence, including a photocopy of a passport suggesting plans for relocation to Canada,” he said. The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin.

The second fugitive, according to the police spokesman, was arrested at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State, by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja.

He said the man is wanted by the United Arab Emirates for a slew of serious offenses including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organised crimes.

“Intelligence revealed that the suspect continued to coordinate criminal operations in the UAE remotely from Nigeria,” Adejobi said.

He noted that the suspect was directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including a violent heist at a grocery store in the Dubai Mall.

“The arrest is the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police,” he said.

The suspect is expected to be arraigned in court soon.