Suspects collect N216m from victims
A 28-man syndicate specialising in luring foreigners, particularly Africans, to Nigeria under the pretence of facilitating their overseas trips has been arrested by operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun.
The syndicate was busted at Oda Road, Akure South Local Council of the state, following a tip-off by one of the victims who escaped after several months in captivity.
While parading the suspects along with other criminals at the headquarters of the corps, Alagbaka, Akure, the Amotekun Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed that the suspects had deceived the victims, who are Ghanaians, to help them secure an Australian visa.
According to Adeleye, after arriving at the Oda axis of the state, the victims were forced to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 by the suspects.
He said: “One of the major breakthroughs was the dismantling of a 28-member syndicate involved in kidnapping, human trafficking, and cattle rustling. This group lured unsuspecting individuals with false promises of U.S. visa procurement.
“We have Ghanaian nationals who were invited to Akure under fraudulent pretences. Upon arrival, they were extorted—some paying between $1,500 and $2,000—only to be kidnapped and held in Oda.
“The syndicate required them to bring in new victims before they could be released. However, due to the intelligence efforts of the Amotekun Corps, we successfully intercepted and rescued them.”
One of the victims, Jeremiah Amoah, said a friend of his was used to convince him to believe that the foreign trip arrangement was genuine.
He said: “A friend called me from Ghana and told me that I should come and do my travel process here in Nigeria to Australia. When I arrived in Lagos, he told me to take a cab and go to Akure.
“After arriving at Cathedral Junction, I was told to wait; an agent will pick me up. When the agent arrived, he took me to a hotel, and after that, he took my money, which was about $2000.
“When they collected my money, they took me to another place where they instructed me to bring another person by luring him to Nigeria before I’ll be released. I was able to escape at midnight when everyone was asleep. I jumped over the wall.
“The Amotekun people really tried for us by ensuring that all those involved were arrested and the over 70 victims released.”
Meanwhile, the Amotekun Commander revealed that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has approved the ban on the operations of commercial motorcyclists in the state to curb the spate of insecurity.
