The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended 10 members of a syndicate for allegedly defrauding unsuspecting victims of millions of naira.
It was gathered that the suspects allegedly lured fellow Cameroonians to Nigeria with promises of securing visas, work permits, and residency documents for destinations such as Mauritius, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The victims were made to pay huge sums of money for the purported travel arrangements, which never materialised.
It was further gathered that several of the suspects lacked valid passports and visas, raising questions about how they entered Nigeria.
A police source disclosed on Wednesday that the syndicate, comprising five males and five females, operated under the guise of a networking business, but investigations revealed that their real “product” was recruiting and exploiting people.
The source said: “The suspects allegedly used social media to deceive prospective victims by staging photographs and videos in luxurious environments, including airports, to create the false impression that members had successfully relocated abroad.
“Victims were coached on what to tell their families and friends in order to recruit more people into the scheme.”
One of the victims told NAN that she was lured by a friend who claimed to be living and working in Mauritius and paid 800,000 CFA francs (about N2 million) for travel documents and relocation.
She alleged that upon arriving in Lagos, she discovered that instead of processing her travel documents, she had been recruited into a networking scheme at a resident in Epe area of the state.
The victim added that members’ phones and documents were confiscated, while they were taken to airports and tourist sites to take photographs and videos that falsely portrayed them as living abroad.
She said members were monitored while communicating with their families and coached on what to say to convince others to join the scheme.
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The victim disclosed that she was denied a refund when she requested to return home and was asked to recruit another person before she could recover her money.
She added that her cousin was later convinced to pay another 800,000 CFA francs after being led to believe she had successfully relocated overseas.
Another victim said she paid about 1.5 million CFA francs, equivalent to about N3.5 million, for travel documents.
The victim said upon arriving in Lagos, she discovered that instead of processing her travel documents, the suspects introduced her to the networking business and trained participants on strategies for recruiting more people.
It was further gathered that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, directed that the case be transferred from the Egbada Tactical Unit to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, for further investigation.
The investigation into the allegations of conspiracy, fraud and human trafficking is being handled by the Human Rights Unit of the SCID under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the department, Dayo Akinbisehin.
The police source said the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.