Malaysia-based boss directed fraud ring — Ogun suspect

Suspected members of a transnational fraud syndicate arrested by the Ogun State Police Command have claimed that their activities in Nigeria were coordinated by a Malaysian national they had never met physically.

The suspects alleged that the Malaysian operated entirely online and issued instructions to members of the network through the internet.

The police had earlier announced the arrest of the suspects in the Agbado area of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, accusing them of operating a networking scheme known as “Ignite.”

According to the police, the syndicate lured foreign nationals into Nigeria with promises of wealth and business opportunities, persuaded them to pay for products that never arrived and encouraged them to recruit additional members into the scheme.

The command also alleged that members of the group staged a fake kidnapping involving a Mauritanian national, Cheikh Mhedy, in a bid to extort 6.5 million CFA Franc from his family.

One of the alleged leaders of the group, 34-year-old Zadariah Sawadogo from Burkina Faso, said he came to Nigeria in 2023 seeking better opportunities and was introduced to Ignite by a friend identified as Sebasien.

Sawadogo claimed that participants were expected to recruit new members and purchase products supposedly supplied by the Malaysian-based operator.

He said he invested money sent by his father after selling a piece of land in Ivory Coast but never received the promised products.

According to him, the Malaysian operator repeatedly claimed that more people needed to pay before the products could be shipped.

Another suspect, 25-year-old Sole Nata, admitted introducing Mhedy to the networking scheme after the pair developed an online relationship.

She said Mhedy arrived in Nigeria without enough money to purchase the products and that she paid N500,000 on his behalf.

However, Nata claimed that Mhedy masterminded the fake kidnapping story and insisted that his father would only send money if he believed his son had been abducted.

A Togolese artist, Kuneji Ezekiel, also described himself as a victim of the scheme, saying he paid 400,000 CFA Franc for products that never arrived.

He disclosed that about 50 people lived in the apartment where the suspects were arrested and that only the group’s leaders communicated directly with the alleged Malaysian operator.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, warned residents against fraudulent networking schemes and reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting the public from criminals posing as legitimate business operators.

He added that preliminary investigations indicated that some of those arrested were victims recruited into the scheme and had been transferred to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further profiling and necessary action.