Nigeria Immigration Service, Adamawa State Command, has arrested two alleged members of a kidnapping racket and recovered N34 million in cash after an intelligence-led operation.
The accused, Alhaji Jaye, 55, and Buba Bello, 34, were arrested on September 6, 2026, the command in a statement said.
The suspects, according to immigration officers, said during preliminary interrogation that the money was going to be used to pay a ransom for the release of Buba Bello’s brother.
Sani Sule-Jega, the Comptroller, Immigration Service, confirmed the arrest at a media event in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Early enquiries revealed the suspects told investigators the money was to pay a ransom for their missing brother, he said.
The service did not immediately say who was being held or who was behind the suspected kidnapping.
In another operation, the command arrested 17 undocumented migrants in a private three-bedroom house in Rumde Baru, Yola South Local Government Area.
According to Sule-Jega’s preliminary profile, 13 of the migrants were Cameroonian nationals consisting of eight males and five girls while the remaining four were Chadian nationals, all males.
The Comptroller pointed to a change in housing preferences among undocumented migrants, noting a shift toward the usage of private and unlicensed dwellings, away from conventional lodging facilities like hotels.
He added that the service was also stepping up surveillance and intelligence-led activities to detect and address developing trends of irregular movement in the state.
Sule-Jega reiterated the command’s commitment toward protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity, enhancing migration management and bolstering border security.
The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede has directed that the suspects and the recovered cash should be handed over to the Adamawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and necessary action.
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