The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismantled a fraudulent network marketing ring linked to the QNET/IGNITE group, a transnational organised criminal syndicate operating in Lagos and Ogun states.
The operational breakthrough followed actionable intelligence on the activities of trafficking syndicates across the two states.
A statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the achievement formed part of the Service’s ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and transnational organised crime in the country.
According to the PRO, the Service intensified its operations, leading to the arrest of one Ouattra Adama, a Burkinabé national and alleged leader of the QNET/IGNITE syndicate, alongside 11 other suspected facilitators comprising eight Liberians and three Cameroonians in various parts of Lagos.
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“Consequently, the Service intensified its operations, leading to the arrest of one Ouattra Adama, a Burkinabé national and alleged leader of the QNET/IGNITE syndicate, alongside eleven other suspected facilitators, comprising eight Liberians and three Cameroonians in various parts of Lagos,” the statement said.
The operation also led to the rescue of two Liberian nationals identified as victims of the syndicate’s illegal activities.
“Accordingly, the twelve suspects and the two victims have been transferred to the Service Headquarters for further investigation and necessary legal action,” Akinlabi stated.
The Service advised members of the public to verify all employment, educational, business and other migration-related offers through appropriate channels before making financial commitments or embarking on international travel.
The NIS said the arrest of the syndicate leader and other facilitators demonstrated its commitment to intelligence-driven border management and underscored its resolve to eliminate irregular migration and transnational organised crime in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
