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The police in Lagos have arrested two Chinese nationals and two Nigerians operating a fake embassy at the Ejigbo area of the state.
Liu Honyang, 47, Sun Xinai, 49 , and their Nigerian collaborators,
Oriyomi Olawale, 47 and Desmond Chinedu, 25, were apprehended during the
raid on their office situated inside Golden Point Hotel and Suite on
Duduyemi Street in Ejigbo.
The police said the suspects had conspired and swindled Nigerians who
had planned to travel out of the country to seek greener pastures.
The police said it’s Rapid Response Squad acted on intelligence
reports from victims which led to operatives lodging in the hotel for
nine days to watch and monitor the activities of the suspects.
“On hearing the arrest news, some of their victims, showed up at the
RRS’s Headquarters, recounting how they were duped respectively, hence
their deportation from Trinidad and Tobago,” the police said in a
statement on Sunday.
Adekunle Adefuye, one of the victims, told police investigators that
he met the suspects through one of their agents, one Dorcas Sylver.
“She is a daughter to my brother’s pastor in Abeokuta,” Mr. Adefuye said
.
“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.”
Mr. Adefuye said the suspects persuaded him to travel to Trinidad and
Tobago, that it was easier to secure employment with at least US$3,000
as salary.
“Initially, I declined to take their bait, insisting that I preferred America to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T),” he said.
“But in the long run, they brainwashed me into agreeing to go to
Trinidad &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.”
Mr. Adefuye said himself and one other traveller, Rasheed Ololade,
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,” he said.
“They treated us like common criminals trying to enter the country
illegally. 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.
Mr. Adefuye said on return to Nigeria, they didn’t inform the
suspects who had thought possibly they were lucky to have entered the
Trinidad and Tobago 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.”
Mr. Ololade said it was the same travel agent, Ms. Sylver, who
persuaded him to go to Trinidad and Tobago 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,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
Another victim, Friday Owah, who was at their office when they were
arrested, said that he had just paid N600,000 after being convinced to
jettison his Europe trip for Trinidad & Tobago.
Mr. Owah told police he was introduced to the suspects by one Mr. Oscar.
He said he paid into Ms. Sun’s GT Bank account.
“She promised to secure the visa for me within a space of two weeks,” Mr. Owah said.
“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.”
Another victim, Lukmon Odeyemi, a footballer, said he 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 the month end,”
he said.
Mr. Honyang, one of the arrested suspects, said 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,” he said.
“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.”
The police said the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy confirmed the visas
issued by the suspects as fake and the two Chinese agents unknown.
“…The Mission can categorically confirm that the individual SUN XINAI
who is claiming to be an agent of this Mission is unknown to us,” the
High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago stated in its
letter dated 7th December 2016, referenced ABJ: 6/2/3/14, in response to
RRS’s inquiry.
“Furthermore, this Mission does not use the services of an ‘agent’ in
any capacity whatsoever and has never done so in the past either,” the
letter, signed by Garth Lamsee, Acting High Commissioner, continued.
“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.”
But Sun Xinai, the major suspect, said she was unaware that stamped
visa for Trinidad and Tobago was no longer tenable in that country
anymore, according to the police.
Items recovered from the suspects during the raid include 25
international passports, 10 laptops, screw driver, five phones and paper
documents.
While confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer of
Lagos State, Superintendent of Police, Dolapo Badmus, said the police
are on the hunt for all their agents and collaborators.
“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.
The police said the suspects have since been transferred to the State
Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
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