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.
Our 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.
Our 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.
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