The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of
Lagos State Police Command has discovered fake embassy operating in Lagos where
many innocent members of the public had been swindled.
The Policemen attached to the squad
swooped on them; two Chinese and two Nigerians were apprehended during the raid
on their office situated inside an hotel, Golden Point and Suite, on
Duduyemi Street in Ejigbo.The Chinese: Liu Honyang, 47, Sun
Xinai, 49; and their Nigerian collaborators, Oriyomi Olawale, 47 and Desmond
Chinedu, 25, conspired and swindled Nigerians who had planned to
travel out of the country to seek greener pastures.
It was gathered that the operatives
acted on the intelligence reports received from members of the public about the
illicit act of these Chinese using Nigeria citizens as cover.
Sources revealed that the Policemen
lodged in the hotel for two days monitoring their activities before eventual
arrest.
After the arrest, some of their
victims showed up at the RRS’s Headquarters, recounting how they were duped
respectively, hence their deportation from Trinidad and Tobago.
According to one of the
victims, Adekunle Adefuye,
“I met these people (suspects) through one of their agents, Dorcas
Slyver. She is a daughter to my brother’s pastor in Abeokuta. I told her my
intentions and zeal to travel to United States of America…. After a while, she
told me to come to Lagos that she can procure the American visa for me…. On
getting to Lagos, she took me to these Chinese where I was told that I should
go to Trinidad and Tobago…. They persuaded me to go Trinidad and Tobago that it
was easier to secure employment with at least 3,000 dollars as salary.”
He continued;
“Initially, I declined to take their bait, insisting that I preferred
America to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)…. But in the long run, they
brainwashed me into agreeing to go to Trinidad and Tobago. It was at this
point, I was told that I would pay N1.3 million for the whole process including
visa processing and flight fare…. The payment was made in installment. N376,000
for Visa, ticket N850,000, accommodation N39,000 and Visa Fee N33,000, which I
obliged and paid all the monies into Dorcas’ GTB Accounts: 0130671906.”
He revealed that he and another person
were rounded up immediately they got to Trinidad and Tobago by the country’s
immigration officers for coming into the country with fake visas.
"We spent two days underground
inside the Police custody. They treated us like criminals trying to enter the
country illegally," he added.
"We left Lagos enroute Lome on
October 19th, 2016. From Lome to Sao Paulo in Brazil. From there, we moved to
Panama where we boarded another plane to Trinidad and Tobago…. On getting to
the country, we were arrested by their security operatives accusing us of
entering their country with fake visa and documents…. We were locked up for 48
hours before we were deported on October 22nd, 2016 and arrived Nigeria the
following day,” he added.
Adefuye stressed, “When we arrived
Nigeria, we didn’t let them know we have been deported. They thought possibly
we were lucky to have entered the T&T without any challenge.
It was one Good Samaritan that came to
our rescue in Trinidad and Tobago, who pleaded for us when they threatened to
prosecute us before we were sent back to Nigeria.
On his part, Rasheed Ololade, said that
it was same agent, Dorcas Sylver, who persuaded him to go to T&T too,
adding that all the money he paid amounted to N1.3M into her account.
“I met Adefuye at their office in
Golden Point Hotel and Suites, Ejigbo in Lagos. And we became good friends
henceforth…. We were only fortunate to have escaped being jailed in T&T for
coming into the country with fake documents and Visas…. They beat hell out of
us and starved us for the whole two days before fortune smiled at us. The
Police in T and T collected all our belongings including money and threatened
to kill us. In fact, they were abusing Nigerians calling us unprinted names….
In fact, we were lucky to have been deported because that country is a junkyard
for drug addicts and dealers,” he lamented.
“Most of the Nigerians we met there
were barely recognisable, and were high on drugs…. One of them, confided in me
that he was struggling to survive by dealing in drug and that he has resorted
to fate, since coming home was difficult," he added.
Another victim, Friday Owah, who was at their office
when they were arrested, said that he just paid N600,000 after being convinced
to jettison his Europe trip for Trinindad & Tobago.
According to him, “I was introduced to
them by one man, Mr Oscar. I paid directly to Madam Sun’s GT Bank account…. She
promised to secure the visa for me within a space of two weeks. By the time the
visa was ready, I was unable to eke-out another N850,000 for flight ticket,
which made the T&T visa to get expired…. I went back to see her to help me
again for same visa. And she told me to pay another N150, 000. It was after I
had made another payment of N150,000 to her account that someone told me they don’t
accept stamp visa but only electronic visa is allowed in that country.”
“I went back to explain to her but she
denied the information but still insisted that stamp visa is acceptable in that
country…. Then, I told her that I was no longer interested in T&T and she
should return my money. I came to their office that fateful day to demand for
the money when the Rapid Response Squad team came to arrest them,” he added.
Another victim, Lukmon Odeyemi, a
footballer by profession, also parted away with N125, 000 for Trinidad and
Tobago’s en route visa.
“The lady (Sun Xinai) charged me N400,
000 but I was only able to raise N125,000 to her with the hope of balancing her
by month end,” he noted.
In his reaction, Liu Hongyag, one of
the arrested suspects, said that he only helped her boss to do paper works and
documents.
"We operated as separate entity as
travel agency under the company's name, Golden Point Hotel and Tour but our
office is located inside the hotel…. Sun Xinai is my sister, and
she is the director of the travel agency. I only do paper works and
documents for visa procurement…. I don’t know how she secures visa for people.
All what I know is that she travels to Abuja and comes back with that stamped
visa. I am a phone repairer,” he stressed.
source posited that investigation has
further revealed that the Trinidad and Tobago’s Embassy has confirmed the Visa
fake and the two Chinese agents unknown.
But Sun Xinai, the major suspect,
noted that she was unaware that stamped visa for Trindad and Tobago was no
longer tenable in that country anymore.
Responding to RRS's visa enquiry, the
High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in its letter dated 7th
December, 2016, referenced ABJ: 6/2/3/14, read in part:
"...the Mission can
categorically confirm that the individual SUN XINAI who is claiming to be an
agent of this Mission is unknown to us…. Furthermore, this Mission does not use
the services of an 'agent' in any capacity whatsoever and has never done so in
the past either…. With regard to the authenticity of the attached visas, the
Mission can also categorically confirm that those visas were not issued at this
High Commission and are clearly fraudulent…. Noteworthy too is the fact that in
June 2015, this Mission stopped the practice of issuing stamped visas in
passports in favour of individual electronic visas issued from our country's
capital Port of Spain.”
The letter was signed by Garth
Lamsee, Acting High Commissioner
Items recovered from them during the
raid were 25 international passports, 10 laptops, screw driver, 5 phones and
paper documents.
While confirming the arrest, the
Police Public Relations Officer of Lagos State, Superintendent of Police, SP
Dolapo Badmus, said that Police will not rest on its oars in protecting rights
of any individual in the country. She said that the Police are on manhunt for
all their agents and canvassers.
"I will also use this medium to
advise the public to be wary of visa agents and anyone who wishes to travel out
of the country should direct their applications to the Embassies," she
added.
All the suspects have since
been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for
further investigation.
The Policemen attached to the squad
swooped on them; two Chinese and two Nigerians were apprehended during the raid
on their office situated inside an hotel, Golden Point and Suite, on
Duduyemi Street in Ejigbo.The Chinese: Liu Honyang, 47, Sun
Xinai, 49; and their Nigerian collaborators, Oriyomi Olawale, 47 and Desmond
Chinedu, 25, conspired and swindled Nigerians who had planned to
travel out of the country to seek greener pastures.
It was gathered that the operatives
acted on the intelligence reports received from members of the public about the
illicit act of these Chinese using Nigeria citizens as cover.
Sources revealed that the Policemen
lodged in the hotel for two days monitoring their activities before eventual
arrest.
After the arrest, some of their
victims showed up at the RRS’s Headquarters, recounting how they were duped
respectively, hence their deportation from Trinidad and Tobago.
According to one of the
victims, Adekunle Adefuye,
“I met these people (suspects) through one of their agents, Dorcas
Slyver. She is a daughter to my brother’s pastor in Abeokuta. I told her my
intentions and zeal to travel to United States of America…. After a while, she
told me to come to Lagos that she can procure the American visa for me…. On
getting to Lagos, she took me to these Chinese where I was told that I should
go to Trinidad and Tobago…. They persuaded me to go Trinidad and Tobago that it
was easier to secure employment with at least 3,000 dollars as salary.”
He continued;
“Initially, I declined to take their bait, insisting that I preferred
America to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)…. But in the long run, they
brainwashed me into agreeing to go to Trinidad and Tobago. It was at this
point, I was told that I would pay N1.3 million for the whole process including
visa processing and flight fare…. The payment was made in installment. N376,000
for Visa, ticket N850,000, accommodation N39,000 and Visa Fee N33,000, which I
obliged and paid all the monies into Dorcas’ GTB Accounts: 0130671906.”
He revealed that he and another person
were rounded up immediately they got to Trinidad and Tobago by the country’s
immigration officers for coming into the country with fake visas.
"We spent two days underground
inside the Police custody. They treated us like criminals trying to enter the
country illegally," he added.
"We left Lagos enroute Lome on
October 19th, 2016. From Lome to Sao Paulo in Brazil. From there, we moved to
Panama where we boarded another plane to Trinidad and Tobago…. On getting to
the country, we were arrested by their security operatives accusing us of
entering their country with fake visa and documents…. We were locked up for 48
hours before we were deported on October 22nd, 2016 and arrived Nigeria the
following day,” he added.
Adefuye stressed, “When we arrived
Nigeria, we didn’t let them know we have been deported. They thought possibly
we were lucky to have entered the T&T without any challenge.
It was one Good Samaritan that came to
our rescue in Trinidad and Tobago, who pleaded for us when they threatened to
prosecute us before we were sent back to Nigeria.
On his part, Rasheed Ololade, said that
it was same agent, Dorcas Sylver, who persuaded him to go to T&T too,
adding that all the money he paid amounted to N1.3M into her account.
“I met Adefuye at their office in
Golden Point Hotel and Suites, Ejigbo in Lagos. And we became good friends
henceforth…. We were only fortunate to have escaped being jailed in T&T for
coming into the country with fake documents and Visas…. They beat hell out of
us and starved us for the whole two days before fortune smiled at us. The
Police in T and T collected all our belongings including money and threatened
to kill us. In fact, they were abusing Nigerians calling us unprinted names….
In fact, we were lucky to have been deported because that country is a junkyard
for drug addicts and dealers,” he lamented.
“Most of the Nigerians we met there
were barely recognisable, and were high on drugs…. One of them, confided in me
that he was struggling to survive by dealing in drug and that he has resorted
to fate, since coming home was difficult," he added.
Another victim, Friday Owah, who was at their office
when they were arrested, said that he just paid N600,000 after being convinced
to jettison his Europe trip for Trinindad & Tobago.
According to him, “I was introduced to
them by one man, Mr Oscar. I paid directly to Madam Sun’s GT Bank account…. She
promised to secure the visa for me within a space of two weeks. By the time the
visa was ready, I was unable to eke-out another N850,000 for flight ticket,
which made the T&T visa to get expired…. I went back to see her to help me
again for same visa. And she told me to pay another N150, 000. It was after I
had made another payment of N150,000 to her account that someone told me they don’t
accept stamp visa but only electronic visa is allowed in that country.”
“I went back to explain to her but she
denied the information but still insisted that stamp visa is acceptable in that
country…. Then, I told her that I was no longer interested in T&T and she
should return my money. I came to their office that fateful day to demand for
the money when the Rapid Response Squad team came to arrest them,” he added.
Another victim, Lukmon Odeyemi, a
footballer by profession, also parted away with N125, 000 for Trinidad and
Tobago’s en route visa.
“The lady (Sun Xinai) charged me N400,
000 but I was only able to raise N125,000 to her with the hope of balancing her
by month end,” he noted.
In his reaction, Liu Hongyag, one of
the arrested suspects, said that he only helped her boss to do paper works and
documents.
"We operated as separate entity as
travel agency under the company's name, Golden Point Hotel and Tour but our
office is located inside the hotel…. Sun Xinai is my sister, and
she is the director of the travel agency. I only do paper works and
documents for visa procurement…. I don’t know how she secures visa for people.
All what I know is that she travels to Abuja and comes back with that stamped
visa. I am a phone repairer,” he stressed.
source posited that investigation has
further revealed that the Trinidad and Tobago’s Embassy has confirmed the Visa
fake and the two Chinese agents unknown.
But Sun Xinai, the major suspect,
noted that she was unaware that stamped visa for Trindad and Tobago was no
longer tenable in that country anymore.
Responding to RRS's visa enquiry, the
High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in its letter dated 7th
December, 2016, referenced ABJ: 6/2/3/14, read in part:
"...the Mission can
categorically confirm that the individual SUN XINAI who is claiming to be an
agent of this Mission is unknown to us…. Furthermore, this Mission does not use
the services of an 'agent' in any capacity whatsoever and has never done so in
the past either…. With regard to the authenticity of the attached visas, the
Mission can also categorically confirm that those visas were not issued at this
High Commission and are clearly fraudulent…. Noteworthy too is the fact that in
June 2015, this Mission stopped the practice of issuing stamped visas in
passports in favour of individual electronic visas issued from our country's
capital Port of Spain.”
The letter was signed by Garth
Lamsee, Acting High Commissioner
Items recovered from them during the
raid were 25 international passports, 10 laptops, screw driver, 5 phones and
paper documents.
While confirming the arrest, the
Police Public Relations Officer of Lagos State, Superintendent of Police, SP
Dolapo Badmus, said that Police will not rest on its oars in protecting rights
of any individual in the country. She said that the Police are on manhunt for
all their agents and canvassers.
"I will also use this medium to
advise the public to be wary of visa agents and anyone who wishes to travel out
of the country should direct their applications to the Embassies," she
added.
All the suspects have since
been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for
further investigation.
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