In a significant win against cross-border organized crime, police officers attached to the INTERPOL National Central Bureau Annex in Lagos have rescued two foreign nationals lured to Nigeria and held against their will by a human trafficking network.
Force Public Relations Officer Ani Iniedu disclosed the achievement in an official statement released in Abuja on Saturday, revealing that the rescue followed actionable intelligence sent from INTERPOL-NCB in Bogotá on August 26, 2026, regarding two women from Colombia.
The victims had been deceived into traveling to Nigeria, trapped, and stripped of their travel papers by a group of Chinese nationals who managed to evade immediate arrest.
Upon receiving the alert, police units launched a covert tracking operation that pinpointed the Lagos hideout, allowing officers to safely extract both women on the very same day.
“The fleeing suspects abandoned the location upon sighting the approaching team, and efforts have been intensified to track down and arrest all members of the syndicate,” according to the statement.
The rescued women are currently being held in safe custody while receiving emergency support.
The police noted that the Colombian Embassy in Accra is coordinating directly with the bureau to arrange hotel lodging and issue emergency travel papers for their safe flight home to Bogotá.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu reiterated the firm commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to protect everyone residing in the country while expanding ties with international security partners to stop transnational crime networks.
