The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six Liberian nationals over their alleged involvement in human trafficking, abduction and an international visa fraud syndicate operating in the state.
The suspects, comprising five men and one woman aged between 21 and 40, were apprehended at Gberigbe in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
According to police investigations, the suspects allegedly specialised in defrauding unsuspecting victims by promising to secure visas for Canada, the United Kingdom and other foreign destinations, collecting millions of naira for travel arrangements that never materialised.
The syndicate reportedly lured victims from Liberia to Nigeria with assurances of obtaining visas, work permits and residency documents. However, upon arrival in Nigeria, the victims allegedly had their passports and other travel documents confiscated.
Investigators said the victims were initially accommodated in hotels for a few days before being moved to a rented apartment in Ikorodu, where they were allegedly held against their will and pressured to recruit more people into the scheme before they could regain their freedom.
The operation was uncovered after one of the victims, a woman who realised she had been deceived, informed a friend she had met while travelling to Nigeria. The friend alerted the police, leading to her rescue and the arrest of the suspects.
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 a thorough investigation.
A police source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Delta Force Anti-Robbery Unit of the SCID, under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the department, Dayo Akinbisehin, is handling the investigation.
The source added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate, while the six suspects will be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
