Visa Scam Unravels Human Trafficking Ring in Akure as Togolese Woman Escapes
A suspected human trafficking syndicate operating in Akure South Local Government area of Ondo State has been uncovered following the escape of a Togolese woman who was allegedly lured into Nigeria under the pretext of securing a U.S. visa.
The Coordinator of the Agbekoya Solidarity Movement of Nigeria, Ondo State Command, Abdulateef Adejola, who disclosed the incident to The Hope, said the victim had been held for about 10 days after traveling from Togo to Akure based on online communications with individuals who had promised to help her travel to the United States.
According to the coordinator, the last was contacted online by a man who claimed to be based in the United States. He allegedly told her he could help process her visa and added that his brother, who was in Akure, Ondo State, also intended to travel to America and wanted them to journey together.
The Togolese lady, who gave her name as Compact A Larija Lamse during a telephone conversation, acted on the information and traveled from Togo to Akure.
On arrival, she was reportedly lodged in a hotel for three days before being moved to a private residence in the Isolo area, around St. Anthony School. The building is said to be a three-storey structure, from which the group was operating on the middle floor.
While there, her phone was allegedly confiscated, and her movements were closely monitored.
The victim later escaped after requesting permission to relieve herself in the bush outside the house. She was reportedly taken by car to a bush area, where she seized the opportunity to flee.
The lady, who could not speak English, was said to have contacted her brother, who advised her to report to the nearest police station.
However, due to the language barrier she speaks only French she was allegedly unable to communicate effectively with officers at a police station around the Maronu area.With assistance from her brother, Yinusa Abubakar,
communication was established through a commercial motorcyclist, who took her to a hotel, where her brother sent money to cover her lodging.
Her brother subsequently traveled to Akure, and together they approached the Agbekoya Solidarity Movement to report the incident.
The Agbekoya State Coordinator said that members of the movement first visited the suspected house in Isolo, where they found several people.
They then alerted the police, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects—eight males and four females—who were taken to the Area Command.
In addition, the Agbekoya Chief Security Officer, Mr. Olanrewaju Kazeem, said the police also recovered items including mobile phones and other electronic devices, which were handed over as evidence.
Further investigations revealed that the group allegedly had another office in the Ijapo area of Akure, but no suspects were found there, suggesting that some members may have fled after being tipped off.
“The police said they were not aware that such activities were going on,” the coordinator said. “All the victims we found are foreigners—none of them are Yoruba.
They are from countries like Mali, Niger, Togo, and Benin Republic. Some of them don’t understand one another, and many don’t speak English.”
He added that the victims were kept in poor conditions, left unkempt, denied adequate food, and stripped of their phones. Of those allegedly involved in the operation, only four were found with phones.
Documents recovered from the suspects reportedly contained names of individuals not among those arrested, raising fears that some victims may have been trafficked elsewhere.
The alleged leader of the group was identified as one Samuel, who later turned himself in, claiming that he had contacted his lawyer.
When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Jimoh Kazeem, confirmed the incident and stated that the suspect had his company duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), but investigations are still ongoing, and the Command will inform the media as more information unfolds.
He said that those in the company’s custody had no iota of disbelief except for the Togolese lady, who was allegedly lured to travel to Nigeria and later demanded to return to her country.
