In their pursuit to ascertain the veracity and facts of an intelligence gathering, The Press Society (TPS), an NGO established to promote development and peace informed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to apprehend and investigate an alleged scam scheme perpetrated by some Liberians to other Liberians in Nigeria.
TPS having received a distress call from some stakeholders in the community, wrote a petition to NIS regarding the plights of victims who fled the camp where they were being coerced to manipulate their family and friends that they are living in Australia while in Nigeria.
Victims interviewed said for over 6 months since in Nigeria they have been indoors but on some occasions, they were taking to exotic places on the Island to take pictures and do video chats with their friends and families. This is to make the rrlatives believe they are doing fine and living a good life in Australia.
The Victims said the scheme handlers have roamed different country numbers, which makes it easy for them to deceive and make family and friends to raise funds for visa processing to Australia.
They said on different occasions they tried to challenge the status quo, but they are often tagged as rebel. Since they observed the strategy of divide and rule tactics by the handlers of the scheme, the victims started playing along to be in the good book of the leaders of the scheme.
This decision to play along aided their flee from the camp, seeking for help without suspicion. Several thousand of dollars have been collected from them for visa processing to Australia but they never left Nigeria, rather they were told to decieve more people from Liberia that they are in Australia. “We are now being told of some products that can enhance our traveling to Europe,” one of the victims stated.
“They harbor us in a house, we were sleeping like refugees after paying them $3,000 each, some people even pay more. We were mandated to daily report to a place highlighted as an office. We will be there daily obtaining information on our to market and sell #Qnet product which is a network marketing platform,” another victim who prefer to remain anonymous told us.
Upon receiving the petition, the NIS swung into action, moblised some armed team to burst the syndicates at one of their hideout camp at a community in Agura-Gberigbe in Ikorodu.
28 victims and scheme syndicates were apprehended. Phones, computers, International passports and power banks were handed over and documented with NIS.
After the arrest of this scheme perpetrators on the 15th of April, 2025, the NIS informed the investigative team of TPS that justice will be served.
The NIS stated that when done with their investigation, they will give the investigative team of TPS a feedback. The NIS PRO, Mr. Ademulegun of the Zone, asserts in company of the Deputy Controller (DC) Samuel Okafor.
When contacted on their investigation, Ademulegun stated “the alleged scam victims are not victims according to their investigation”. He further said that “just 8 of them are in Nigeria illegally, and according to ECOWAS treaty, they have 90 days window of opportunity to stay in the country and we have asked them to leave when it lapses”
