The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested an alleged Burkinabé kingpin and 11 other foreign suspects linked to a transnational human trafficking and irregular migration syndicate operating under the QNET/IGNITE group.
The operation also resulted in the rescue of two Liberian nationals believed to be victims of the network.
The coordinated operation, carried out in Lagos and Ogun states, was part of the Service’s ongoing intelligence-led campaign against irregular migration, human trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime. The NIS said the crackdown followed credible intelligence on the activities of the syndicate across both states.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, disclosed that operatives intensified surveillance and enforcement activities before arresting the alleged leader of the syndicate, identified as Ouattra Adama, a Burkinabé national.
The operation also led to the arrest of 11 suspected facilitators, comprising eight Liberian nationals and three Cameroonian nationals, during coordinated raids in different parts of Lagos. Investigators believe the suspects played various roles in facilitating the activities of the trafficking network.
According to the NIS, the 12 suspects, alongside the two rescued Liberian victims, have been transferred to the Service headquarters in Abuja for comprehensive investigation and further legal action in accordance with Nigeria’s immigration and anti-trafficking laws.
The Nigeria Immigration Service reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling transnational criminal networks exploiting vulnerable migrants and warned that individuals involved in human trafficking, irregular migration and related offences would continue to face the full weight of the law as the agency strengthens border security and internal enforcement operations nationwide.