The police command in Lagos State has detained six Liberians over alleged human trafficking, abduction and an international visa scam luring compatriots with fake relocation promises to Canada and the United Kingdom.

The suspects, comprising one woman and five men aged between 21 and 40, were apprehended at Gberigbe in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The members of a syndicate allegedly specialise in defrauding unsuspecting victims of millions of naira with a promise of securing a visa for Canada and other countries.

Following the report, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Tijani, directed that the case be transferred from the Imota Police Division to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, for comprehensive investigation.

A police source said on Friday that the syndicate allegedly lured victims from Liberia to Nigeria with promises of securing visas, work permits and residency documents for Canada and the UK, collecting huge sums of money for travel arrangements that never materialised.

He said that the victims’ passports and other travel documents were seized upon arrival in Nigeria.

According to him, the victims are initially accommodated in a hotel for two or three days before being moved to a rented apartment in Ikorodu, where they are held and pressured to recruit more people into the scheme.

“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.

He said that one of the victims, who realised she had been deceived after arriving in Lagos rather than processing her travel documents for Canada as promised, reported the case through a friend she met on her way to Nigeria.

“Her passport was seized and she was compelled to participate in the recruitment scheme.

“The victim eventually contacted a man she had met during her flight to Nigeria and shared her location with him. The man alerted the police, leading to the rescue of the victim and the arrest of the suspects.

“The investigation is being handled by the Delta Force Anti-Robbery Unit) of the SCID under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the department, Mr Dayo Akinbisehin, ” he said.

The source added that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate, while the six suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations. 

(NAN)