The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 26 foreign nationals after investigating a kidnapping report filed by a 22-year-old Cameroonian woman who travelled to Nigeria to meet a man she met online. The woman, identified as “Delphine,” reported at a police station on June 16 alleging she had been kidnapped after discovering her 39-year-old Chadian online lover was already married. She reportedly made claims suggesting she was being held against her will while seeking a way to return to Cameroon without informing the man.
Commissioner of Police Mr. Fatai Tijani transferred the case from the Command Tactical Unit, Area ‘N’ Ijede, Ikorodu to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba for further investigation. Operatives traced the location linked to the complaint and found several foreigners living in an apartment with no valid documents. The suspects, aged 19 to 50 and comprising 19 Chadians and 7 Cameroonians including four women, were taken into custody by the Diplomatic and Foreign Nationals Desk of the SCID under Deputy Commissioner Dayo Akinbisehin.
Police sources said preliminary findings showed no evidence of kidnapping. The foreigners are allegedly linked to a networking scheme tied to a company called Ignite, and many could not provide valid travel documents or were suspected to have entered Nigeria through irregular routes. Authorities said the suspects are undergoing profiling and immigration checks to establish their legal status, while investigations continue to determine if any laws were violated.
