Police Bust Visa Scam Syndicates, Uncover N500 Million Fraud in Lagos

• The Lagos State Police Command has arrested suspects involved in a visa fraud syndicate in the state
• Investigations revealed that the suspects, who are allegedly parading themselves as a visa agency to lure victims, belong to a Lagos-based educational consultancy firm
• The Command's Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, issued a strong statement to the public against visa application fraud

Lagos State – Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command, have arrested four suspects involved in crime syndicates that engage in large-scale visa application scams to the tune of N500 million in Lagos State.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Command's Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, shared via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, July 16.

Legit.ng gathered that the suspects, who are staff members of an educational consultancy located in Ago Okota, allegedly lure victims with promises of securing Canadian visa applications.

Police's arrest of suspects

According to the statement, the case was initially reported at the Ago Okota divisional police headquarters and was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Lagos state police command, where investigations led to the arrest of the suspects.

The statement reads, "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.

"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 located in Ago Okota, fraudulently obtained a total of ₦500 million from over 100 unsuspecting victims under the false promise of securing Canadian.

The Commissioner of Police advises the public

The State Command's Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, advised the public to properly scrutinise travel agencies before any financial engagements.

"CP Olohundare Jimoh, advises the public to exercise due diligence and verify the authenticity of travel and recruitment agencies before engaging in any visa-related transactions.

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

Alleged N52 billion fraud: EFCC chases suspects

Legit.ng previously reported that despite continuous efforts to improve security systems, Nigerian banks reported a startling N52.26 billion loss to fraud in 2024, a situation that highlights the increasing sophistication of financial crimes.

According to the most recent report from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), the banking industry remains seriously threatened by fraudulent activities, including insider collusion, account manipulation, and identity theft. However, NIBSS and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were able to effectively recover N1.74 billion, thereby stopping these illegal actions and reclaiming stolen cash.

Fraudsters attack Nigerian banks

Legit.ng also reported that the most recent Fraud Risk Report from the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) has shown that between the first and third quarters of this year, Nigeria experienced a 50% increase in financial losses related to fraud and a 100% increase in digital fraud incidents.

The survey claims that fraud instances have increased on all platforms and that the risks are further increased by the growth of digital transactions.

Source: Legit.ng