The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested a Burkinabe national, Ouattra Adama, alongside 11 suspected facilitators during a major operation targeting a transnational organised criminal syndicate linked to the alleged QNET/IGNITE fraudulent network marketing scheme operating in Lagos and Ogun states.
The suspects comprise eight Liberians and three Cameroonians, while two Liberian victims were rescued during the operation.
The Service’s Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, saying the operation was carried out following actionable intelligence on the activities of human trafficking and transnational criminal syndicates across the two states.
According to Akinlabi, the intensified crackdown led to the arrest of the alleged syndicate leader, Ouattra Adama, along with the 11 suspected facilitators.
He added that all 12 suspects and the two rescued victims have been transferred to the NIS Headquarters for further investigation and appropriate legal action.
The NIS urged members of the public to verify all employment, educational, business, and migration opportunities through the appropriate authorities before making financial commitments or travelling abroad.
Akinlabi noted that the successful dismantling of the syndicate reflects the Service’s commitment to intelligence-driven border management and its determination to combat irregular migration and transnational organised crime.
He added that the operation aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
