The Ogun State Police Command has uncovered and dismantled a cross-border fraud network that allegedly specialised in deceiving foreign nationals with fake travel opportunities to Europe, rescuing nine victims in the process.
Two suspects, Stephen Kwame and Abubakar Sulaimon, were apprehended during a targeted operation carried out by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit at a hideout in the Owode Egba axis of the state.
Police sources disclosed that the breakthrough followed intelligence shared through INTERPOL, which prompted operatives to storm the location where the victims were reportedly being held unlawfully.
Speaking on the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the syndicate preyed on unsuspecting foreigners, particularly from Ghana, by offering them non-existent travel arrangements to Europe.
He noted that upon arrival in Nigeria, the victims were confined, stripped of their phones, and subsequently used as tools to extort money from their families and associates abroad.
Among those rescued was a 40-year-old Ghanaian, Maclaud Owusu, who, alongside eight others, was found at the facility and freed without injuries.
Babaseyi revealed that Owusu had already been defrauded of 31,000 Ghanaian cedis before the police intervention disrupted the scheme.
“The operation was executed based on credible intelligence, leading to the rescue of multiple victims who were held under similar fraudulent conditions,” he said.
The police spokesman added that while the principal victim had been reunited with his family, arrangements were ongoing to reconnect the remaining victims with their loved ones.
He further stated that efforts were underway to track and arrest other fleeing members of the syndicate.
The command, however, advised members of the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of travel offers to avoid falling victim to similar scams.
