By Samson Adeyanju
At least 17 prospective travellers have been identified as victims of an alleged visa fraud scheme involving two suspects from Igbanke in Edo State, according to a press statement issued on April 19.
The suspects, Promise Alika and Innocent Ogboin, were accused of posing as agents linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria to defraud unsuspecting individuals seeking visas to Australia and European countries.
The statement, signed by Chief Jude Ogbekile, alleged that Alika misrepresented himself as a consultant or government representative and collected large sums of money from victims under the pretext of facilitating visa processing, appointment scheduling and guaranteed approvals.
Payments were reportedly made through a bank account operated by one Adamu Yusuf with Access Bank, raising further concerns about the structure of the scheme.
Preliminary findings indicate that victims were charged as much as ₦8 million for visa processing to Australia and similar amounts for European destinations, with additional payments allegedly demanded at various stages of the process.
According to the statement, victims were told that visa appointments would be scheduled after initial payments and that approvals would follow within weeks after biometric capture.
However, many of those who paid have reportedly been left stranded, while attempts to contact the main suspect have failed.
Although two individuals reportedly obtained visas under unclear circumstances, the majority of clients are said to have suffered financial losses running into tens of millions of naira.
There are also unverified claims that some parties linked to the operation are disputing about ₦37 million allegedly unaccounted for.
Authorities have since been alerted, and investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the fraud and bring those responsible to justice.
The public has been urged to avoid dealing with unauthorized agents and to process visa applications strictly through official embassy channels or accredited service providers.
Officials also warned that no individual has the authority to guarantee visa approvals or demand unofficial payments.
