‘We Take Orders From Malaysia’ – Suspects Confess As Police Uncover Fraud Syndicate In Ogun

Suspected members of a transnational fraud syndicate arrested by the Ogun State command of the Nigeria Police Force have claimed that their activities in Nigeria were coordinated by a Malaysian national who operated entirely online.

The suspects said all members of the network worked under the direction of the Malaysian, whom they claimed none of them had met physically.

Naija News understands that the spokesperson for the command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, had in a statement on Monday said the suspects were arrested in the Agbado area of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

He said they were allegedly involved in a networking scheme known as “Ignite,” through which foreign nationals were lured into Nigeria with promises of wealth and business opportunities.

According to Babaseyi, the group allegedly recruited victims from several African countries and persuaded them to pay for products that were never delivered.

He said the victims were also encouraged to bring more people into the network, in what police described as a fraudulent scheme disguised as a legitimate business opportunity.

The command also accused members of the syndicate of plotting a fake kidnapping involving a Mauritanian national, Cheikh Mhedy, from whose family they allegedly attempted to obtain 6.5 million CFA Franc.

In a confessional statement on Friday, June 12, one of the leaders of the group, 34-year-old Zadariah Sawadogo from Burkina Faso, said he came to Nigeria in 2023 in search of better opportunities.

He said he was later introduced to the Ignite networking scheme by a friend identified as Sebasien.

‘We Took Orders From Malaysia’

Sawadogo claimed that the group received instructions from a Malaysian national who coordinated the scheme through online communication.

“We took orders from Malaysia. Our boss is a Malaysian national, and I have never met him before. We only communicate on the internet. I was born in Burkina Faso, but I grew up in Ivory Coast. When I came to Nigeria, my friend Sebasien told me about Ignite Networking. He said I would make a lot of money from the business, but before I was arrested, I had only received $90,” the PUNCH quoted the suspect as saying.

He explained that participants were expected to recruit new members and purchase products allegedly supplied by the Malaysian-based operator.

“When Sebasien introduced me to Ignite Networking, he told me I would get products from our boss in Malaysia and earn money based on the number of people I referred to the business,” he added.

Sawadogo said he became convinced that the business would be profitable and later persuaded his father to sell a piece of land he had bought in Ivory Coast with the intention of building a house.

He said the proceeds from the sale were sent to him in Nigeria for investment in the scheme.

The suspect, however, lamented that the products he paid for never arrived.

He said, “My father sold the land for 1.6 million CFA Franc and sent the money to me in Nigeria. I rented the apartment where we were arrested for ₦500,000 and used the remaining money to order Ignite products.

“Till the moment we were arrested, my product had not arrived from Malaysia. Our boss kept saying more people needed to pay before the products could be shipped together. I only received $90 as a referral bonus.”

Woman Admits Inviting Mauritanian Lover

The police also identified 25-year-old Sole Nata as the woman who allegedly lured Mhedy from Mauritania to Nigeria.

Nata admitted that she met Mhedy online and introduced him to the networking scheme after they became lovers.

According to her, Mhedy arrived in Nigeria without enough money to buy the products, forcing her to pay ₦500,000 on his behalf.

She said, “I met Cheikh online, and we became lovers. I told him to come to Nigeria and make money through Ignite Network products. When he came to Nigeria, he didn’t bring money with him and could not pay for his product. I used my own ₦500,000 to pay for it.”

Nata, however, claimed that Mhedy was the one who devised the fake kidnapping story used to obtain money from his father.

“He lied to his father that he had been kidnapped in Nigeria and that the kidnappers were demanding 6.5 million CFA Franc as ransom. We told him the amount was too much, but he insisted that his father was rich and would only send money if he believed his son had been abducted,” she stated.

Another member of the group, a Togolese artist identified as Kuneji Ezekiel, also described himself as a victim of the scheme.

Ezekiel said he joined the network after a friend, identified simply as Zanu, promised that he would become wealthy.

He said, “I paid 400,000 CFA Franc for my product, but I never received anything before the police arrested us. There were about 50 of us living in the apartment. It was the leaders who communicated with the boss in Malaysia and passed instructions to the rest of us.”

Babaseyi warned residents against falling victim to fraudulent networking schemes and other businesses that promise quick wealth.

He reiterated the command’s commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements and protecting residents from fraudsters operating under the guise of legitimate businesses.

The police spokesperson told PUNCH that preliminary investigations showed that some of those arrested were victims who had been recruited into the scheme.

According to him, such persons had been transferred to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further profiling and necessary action.