Ogun police bust fraud ring

• Suspects claim they work for Malaysia-based mastermind

By Christopher Oji

Hundreds of people within and outside Nigeria have allegedly fallen victim to the activities of fraudulent networking groups that target foreigners, particularly nationals of Francophone countries.

Their modus operandi involves luring victims with promises of lucrative business opportunities and non-existent wealth through membership of marketing network schemes. In some cases, they allegedly go as far as staging kidnapping incidents to extort money from victims’ relatives.

One such group was recently busted by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command under the leadership of Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, in the Agbado area of Ifo Local Government Area.

According to the police, the suspects operated a scheme known as “Ignite” and allegedly lured a Mauritanian national, Cheikh Mhedy, to Nigeria through one of their female members, Sole Nata. He was subsequently accommodated in a building in Agbado, where the group allegedly orchestrated a fake kidnapping claim and demanded a ransom of 6.5 million CFA francs from his father.

One of the alleged leaders of the group, 34-year-old Zadariah Sawadogo, a Burkina Faso national who grew up in Côte d’Ivoire, claimed that they worked for a Malaysian national who operates from overseas.

Sawadogo said he was introduced to the business by a friend identified as Sebasien, who allegedly serves as the link between members and the Malaysia-based owner of the network. According to him, all funds generated from the scheme in Nigeria were sent to Sebasien in Burkina Faso for onward transfer to Malaysia.

Speaking with journalists, Sawadogo said:

“I came to Nigeria in 2023. I was born in Burkina Faso but grew up in Ivory Coast. I came to Nigeria in search of menial jobs. My friend, Sebasien, introduced me to the business.

“When I arrived, he told me about Ignite Networking and promised I would make a lot of money. However, before my arrest, I had only received $90. The business involved introducing or referring people to the network, after which you would earn commissions. We were also told that products would be supplied to us for sale.”

He added:

“When Sebasien introduced me to Ignite Networking, he told me I would receive products from our boss in Malaysia and earn additional income from the number of people I recruited. I even informed my father in Ivory Coast about the business.”

Sawadogo further claimed that before leaving Ivory Coast, he owned a piece of land intended for building a house.

“I asked my father to sell the land and send me the money. He sold it for 1.6 million CFA francs and transferred the proceeds to me in Nigeria. I rented the apartment where we were arrested for N500,000 and used the remaining money to order Ignite products.”

Lamenting his experience, he said: “Up till the time we were arrested, my products had not arrived from Malaysia. Our boss kept saying more people needed to pay before the products could be shipped together. I only received $90 as a bonus for the people I referred.

“I have never met our Malaysian boss physically. We only communicate online. It is Sebasien who sends payments to him.”

A 25-year-old member of the group, Sole Nata, admitted introducing Cheikh Mhedy, whom she described as her internet lover, to the scheme.

She said: “My uncle, Zadariah, introduced me to the business. I paid about N1 million for products that never arrived.

“I met Cheikh online and we became lovers. He was in Mauritania when we met. I told him about Ignite Networking and encouraged him to come to Nigeria to make money.”

According to her, Mhedy arrived in Nigeria without enough money to participate in the scheme.

“When he came, he couldn’t pay for the product, so I used N500,000 of my own money to pay on his behalf. Later, we told him he needed to raise more money and purchase additional products.

“Cheikh lied to his father that he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of 6.5 million CFA francs. We told him the amount was too much, but he insisted his father was wealthy and would only send money if he believed his son had been kidnapped.”

Another victim, Kuneji Ezekiel, a Togolese artist, said he was introduced to the network by a friend identified as Zanu, who has since returned to Ivory Coast.

Ezekiel said: “I am an artist. I came to Nigeria in 2023 for apprenticeship training. After graduating, I travelled between Nigeria and Togo for jobs. Zanu told me about the networking business and promised I would become rich if I joined.

“I joined about two months ago and paid 400,000 CFA francs for products, but I never received anything before the police arrested us. There were about 50 of us in the apartment.

“The leaders communicated directly with our boss in Malaysia and only relayed instructions to us. Zadariah provided food for everyone in the apartment.”

Ezekiel maintained that he had neither earned any money nor referred anyone to the scheme before the police operation.

Confirming the arrests, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, warned residents against falling victim to fraudulent schemes and reiterated the command’s commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements.

He added that following preliminary investigations and profiling, some of those arrested who were identified as foreign victims of the syndicate had been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further necessary action.