By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have rescued at least 50 foreigners, from neighbouring African countries, some of them children, from a duplex on Omola Road, in the Edemola area of Epe in the state.
It was gathered that the rescued persons, all foreigners, were kept in the building by a gang of job scammers.
Findings at the Okeoyibo Police Division where the rescued persons were taken, revealed that they were from Cameroon and Gabon.
Investigations, according to the police, indicated that they were deceived by the ring leaders of a Cameroonian job scam gang that there were job opportunities in Nigeria.
The victims, as gathered, were discovered to have paid an unspecified amount to the fraudsters.
Some of them, it was gathered, 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.
Some of them were discovered to have been in the building for six months.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, said the main suspect had fled to Cameroon, noting that 34 persons were rescued.
“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,” he stated.
