Up to 34 foreigners from neighbouring African countries, some of them children, have been rescued by the police in Lagos State.
The rescued persons, all foreigners, were kept in a duplex on Omola Road, in the Edemola area of Epe, Lagos, by a gang of job scammers.
The foreigners, who are citizens of Cameroon and Gabon, were taken to the Okeoyibo Police Division after they were rescued.
According to the police, an investigation revealed that they were deceived by the ring leaders of a Cameroonian job scam gang that there were job opportunities in Nigeria.
The victims paid an unspecified amount to the fraudsters hoping to secure jobs in Nigeria.
Some of the victims reportedly told policemen that they sold their valuables, including houses, back home, to raise money for the journey to Nigeria, for the promised jobs.
On arrival, they were reportedly kept in the duplex with a stern warning not to step outside until they got the promised jobs.
It was discovered that some of them had been in the building for six months.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, said that 34 persons were rescued. He added that the main suspect has fled to Cameroon.
Hundeyin said: “They are not kidnapped victims, they were deceived by some Cameroonians that there were jobs in Nigeria, only to be stranded because they have expended all their money. All of them have been taken to the police station.
“The ring leader is on the run. He gave all of them the same arrival date and when they arrived, he collected their money from them, asked them to stay in that room and left with a promise to be back, only to abandon them and go back to Cameroon.”
