The police command in Lagos has apprehended 10 members of a syndicate for defrauding unsuspecting victims of millions of naira.

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.

Victims were made to pay huge sums of money for the purported travel arrangements, which never materialised.

Several of the suspects lacked valid passports and visas, raising questions about how they entered Nigeria.

The police commissioner, 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.

One of the victims said 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 by a resident of the Epe area.

The victim further alleged 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. According to her, 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.

Similarly, another victim said she paid about 1.5 million CFA francs, equivalent to about N3.5 million, for travel documents. 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.

(NAN)