The Ogun State Police Command has dismantled a chain of notorious Cameroonian criminal syndicate that specialized in luring unsuspecting nationals from their country to Nigeria under the guise of visa procurement and ultimately kidnap them for ransom.
Two male members of the gang, identified as Ndzana Kamga Isidore and Tingue Stephen, were apprehended during a raid of their hideout, a two-bedroom flat in the Pakuro area of Mowe.
Disclosing this development in a statement, the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson (PPRO), CSP Omolola Odutola, said “On 4th November, 2025, at about 1030hrs, operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit, Eleweran, intercepted a distress call from a Cameroonian national, who narrated how she had been deceived from Cameroon into Nigeria on 29th September, 2025 by one Donald ‘M’, a fellow Cameroonian, who promised to process a Canadian visa for her.”
According to the statement, shortly after her arrival at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, she was received by the supposed “agency,” which provided transportation from Lagos to Mowe, Ogun State, where she and her younger sister, aged 23, were held hostage.
However, On November 3, 2025, the complainant escaped from captivity and alerted the Police, “disclosing that more victims, who fell for the same ploy, were being held in a two-bedroom flat in the Pakuro area of Ogun State.”
Odutola further stated that “Following the report, a tactical team from the Anti-kidnapping Unit stormed the criminal hideout at Mowe, Ogun State, where Kengne Maeva ‘f’ was rescued unhurt. Two suspects — Ndzana Kamga Isidore ‘m’ and Tingue Stephen ‘m’, were arrested at the scene, while the principal suspect, Donald ‘M’, remains at large.”
A preliminary investigation conducted by the Police revealed that the victims’ family members in far away Cameroon had paid a ransom of 3,600,000 CFA into the Cameroonian bank account of the fleeing suspect.
Meanwhile, in response to the development, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered continuous monitoring of similar criminal trends across the state.
CP Ogunlowo further directed all tactical commanders to engage community stakeholders and Community Development Association (CDA) chairmen, especially in remote areas, to report suspicious foreign nationals renting apartments directly to the Police Headquarters without delay.
”The Ogun State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property while ensuring that criminal elements find no safe haven within the state,” Odutola stated.
