The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disbanded a purported transnational criminal organization associated with the infamous QNET/IGNITE syndicate, rescuing two purported human trafficking victims and apprehending 12 alleged affiliates, including the purported foreign leader of the group, during synchronised operations in Lagos and Ogun states.
The advancement was revealed in a communiqué sent on Tuesday by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, DCI, Akinsola Akinlabi.
The declaration indicates that the alleged head of the syndicate, named Ouattra Adama, a citizen of Burkina Faso, was apprehended with 11 additional suspected accomplices, including eight Liberians and three Cameroonians.
Akinlabi stated that the operation was executed based on reliable intelligence regarding the operations of trafficking syndicates engaged in irregular migration and various forms of transnational organised crime.
During the operation, immigration agents salvaged two Liberian citizens thought to have been enticed and exploited by the alleged conspiracy via deceptive tactics.
The announcement indicated that the apprehended individuals and the liberated victims have been sent to the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja for additional inquiry and requisite legal proceedings.