A 56-year-old Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been apprehended by the Australian Federal Police over allegations of trafficking students from Papua New Guinea and subjecting them to forced labour on farms across Queensland under the false promise of educational opportunities.
Abubakar, who holds dual citizenship, was arrested on Wednesday at Brisbane Airport following her arrival from PNG, where she had been predominantly based.
Her arrest is the result of a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which began probing her activities in July 2022 after receiving intelligence from Queensland Police.
According to authorities, Abubakar used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to deceive at least 15 young PNG nationals, aged between 19 and 35—into believing they were coming to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023 on fully-funded educational scholarships.
Her firm, which advertised a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment,” allegedly used its online platform to lure unsuspecting students. However, once in Australia, the students were reportedly pressured into signing complex legal agreements obligating them to repay undefined expenses including tuition, airfare, visa processing, insurance, and legal fees.
The AFP said the students were then compelled to work on fruit farms in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe regions, often under conditions that breached their visa terms.
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They were allegedly forced into grueling labour, working “10 hours a day, seven days a week”, with their wages collected and withheld by Abubakar as repayment for the supposed debts.
“The farmers did not know of Abubakar’s alleged scheme,” the AFP clarified.
Authorities further allege that Abubakar used threats to maintain control over the students.
Those who resisted or failed to comply were reportedly met with intimidation, including threats of deportation or pressure on their families back in PNG.
“She would allegedly receive the wages on the workers’ behalf and withhold them.
“If they refused to comply, Abubakar allegedly threatened to have the students deported or intimidated their family in PNG,” police reported.
Abubakar is now facing 31 charges, including four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services, and 13 counts related to debt bondage. She was granted conditional bail and is due back in court on September 19.
Speaking on the case, AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer denounced the alleged abuses, “The AFP is committed to protecting vulnerable foreign workers who are targeted by those driven by greed and profits.”
He continued, “Victims of debt bondage and other human trafficking offences can be lured to Australia with a promise of a dream career or free education—things they may not have access to in their country of origin.
“If the conditions of that promise change, it can leave victims in an extremely vulnerable situation in a foreign country, where they are likely to have little financial or emotional support and face issues with language barriers.”
Telfer emphasized the AFP’s dedication to supporting victims and called on the public to help combat such exploitation. “The AFP can help people who are exploited. We are focused on ensuring the welfare of victims,” he said.
This case emerges shortly after a separate crackdown in western Germany, where 13 suspected members of a Nigerian mafia network were recently arrested.