Japa: Police arrest four over N500m Canada visa scam

The police in Lagos State have arrested four persons in connection with a ₦500,000,000 (five hundred million naira) visa scam.

The victims are over one hundred prospective students who intended to travel abroad for the purpose of education and possible relocation.

CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the image maker in charge of the state police command, confirmed the arrest of the suspects in a statement signed by him and made available to Tribune Online.

The Lagos police image maker said, “The State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with a large-scale visa scam involving the fraudulent collection of ₦500 million.

The suspects are Blessing Wefsutu ‘f’ aged 27, Chineye Christian ‘f’ aged 36, Archibong Udeme Ifereke ‘m’ aged 23, and Maurine Peter ‘m’ aged 25.”

According to the police spokesperson, “The case, which was initially reported at the Ago Okota Division, was subsequently transferred to the SCID for further investigation.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects, all staff of an educational consultancy company located in Ago Okota, fraudulently obtained a total of ₦500 million from over 100 unsuspecting victims under the false promise of securing Canadian and Australian work visas for them.”

He also stated that “Further investigations revealed that the syndicate includes additional accomplices, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend them and bring them to justice upon conclusion of the investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Owohunwa Idowu, advises the public to exercise due diligence and verify the authenticity of travel and recruitment agencies before engaging in any visa-related transactions.

He assured the public that the Command remains committed to pursuing justice and protecting residents from fraudsters and other criminal elements.”

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