Nigerian police have arrested two suspected internationally wanted fugitives on charges of human trafficking and armed robbery, according to a statement released by the police’s national spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Wednesday. The first suspect is allegedly a ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, while the second is a key member of an armed robbery gang based in Dubai.

The human trafficking suspect was declared wanted by Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on December 19, 2023. He was apprehended in Benin, the Edo capital, following intelligence and enforcement efforts by police operatives. The suspect is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy and dispersing them across Europe for sexual exploitation. Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging from £20,000 to £50,000 used to manipulate and control them. The suspect's criminal network included handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.

According to the statement, the suspect fled to Nigeria after being convicted in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership. A search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada. The suspect is slated to be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Benin Division.

The second suspect was arrested by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are seeking the arrest of this suspect for a series of serious crimes, including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities. While in Nigeria, the police allege that the suspect continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely. The suspect is allegedly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall. The police have stated that the suspect will soon be arraigned in court.