Two Colombian women have been rescued from a Lagos hideout after intelligence from INTERPOL in Bogotá led Nigerian police to the location on August 26, 2026.
This was announced on Saturday, 29 August in a statement by the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.
The women, Maria Camila Rodas Ortiz and Yuliet Fernanda Rios Mesa, were allegedly lured to Nigeria and held against their will by a human trafficking syndicate. Their travel documents were also confiscated by Chinese nationals who are now at large.
The rescue was carried out by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the National Central Bureau, INTERPOL Lagos Annex. Police located the hideout through a covert tracking operation launched after receiving actionable intelligence from INTERPOL-NCB, Bogotá.
The operation also exposed the location used to hold the two Colombian citizens. The suspects fled after seeing the police team approaching, leaving the women behind.
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The rescued women are now in safe custody and receiving necessary support, according to the information released by CSP Ani Iniedu.
The operation has also triggered efforts to identify and arrest the members of the syndicate who fled the Lagos location. The Chinese nationals identified in connection with the confiscation of the victims’ travel documents have not been arrested.
Bogotá intelligence opened the trail
The case began with information sent from INTERPOL-NCB, Bogotá, on August 26 concerning the two Colombian citizens.
The intelligence identified Rodas Ortiz and Rios Mesa and indicated that they had been fraudulently lured to Nigeria. They were then held against their will, with their travel documents taken from them.
The information gave Nigerian police a basis to begin tracking the victims’ location. Operatives attached to the NCB-INTERPOL Lagos Annex acted on the intelligence and carried out a covert operation.
The tracking operation led police to a hideout in Lagos where the two women were found. The police team secured their rescue on the same day the intelligence was received.
The suspects, however, were not found at the scene after they noticed the approaching police operatives. They abandoned the location and fled before they could be arrested.
Police have since intensified attempts to trace the fleeing members of the syndicate. The available information does not state how many suspects are being sought or give details of their current locations.
The case has also required cooperation between Nigerian police and Colombian authorities because the rescued women are Colombian citizens.
The Colombian Embassy in Accra is working with the National Central Bureau to arrange hotel accommodation for the women. It is also helping to secure emergency travel documents needed for their return to Bogotá.
Embassy prepares return to Bogotá
The arrangements are intended to provide the women with accommodation and the travel documents required to leave Nigeria safely.
Their current custody remains with the authorities as support is provided to them. The information released by the police did not disclose how long the women had been held before their rescue or when they arrived in Nigeria.
It also did not state how the women were initially deceived into travelling to Nigeria, beyond identifying the act as fraudulent.
The police said the operation was linked to the fight against transnational organised crime and involved cooperation with an international law enforcement partner.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of people living in the country.
He also reaffirmed cooperation with international law enforcement partners in dealing with cross-border crimes.
The rescue gives the two Colombian nationals a route back to their home country after their documents were confiscated and they were allegedly prevented from leaving the Lagos location.
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