Lagos Police Nab Six Liberians Over Alleged Canada, UK Visa Scam, Human Trafficking

 Lagos Police Nab Six Liberians Over Alleged Canada, UK Visa Scam, Human Trafficking

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six Liberian nationals over an alleged international visa scam, human trafficking and abduction syndicate that lured unsuspecting victims to Nigeria with fake promises of relocation to Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six Liberian nationals for allegedly operating an international visa scam and human trafficking syndicate that targeted fellow Liberians with false promises of relocation to Canada and the United Kingdom.

The suspects, comprising five men and one woman aged between 21 and 40, were arrested at Gberigbe in Ikorodu, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the police.

It was gathered that the syndicate allegedly deceived victims into believing they would secure Canadian and UK visas, work permits and residency documents after paying huge sums of money for travel and processing.

However, upon arriving in Nigeria, the victims reportedly discovered that the promised travel arrangements did not exist.

Police sources disclosed that the victims' passports and other travel documents were immediately confiscated by the suspects.

The victims were initially accommodated in a hotel for two or three days before they were moved to a rented apartment in Ikorodu, where they were allegedly held and coerced into recruiting more people from Liberia into the scheme.

A police source said the victims were introduced to a networking business instead of being processed for overseas travel and were told they could only regain their freedom after bringing in new recruits.

"The victims were promised opportunities to relocate abroad. After paying the required fees and arriving in Nigeria, they discovered there was no travel arrangement. Instead, they were introduced to a networking business and instructed to recruit others before they could regain their freedom," the source said.

The source further revealed that the operation was exposed after one of the victims realised she had been defrauded upon arriving in Lagos instead of having her travel documents processed for Canada as promised.

Her passport was allegedly seized and she was forced to participate in the recruitment scheme.

Unable to bear the situation, the victim contacted a man she had met during her journey to Nigeria and shared her location with him. The man promptly alerted the police, leading to her rescue and the arrest of the six suspects.

Following the report, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Tijani, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, to carry out a thorough investigation into the case in line with international best practices.

Detectives attached to the SCID are handling the investigation under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the department, Mr. Dayo Akinbisehin.

Police sources said efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate who are still at large, adding that the six suspects will be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further necessary action after the conclusion of the investigation.