Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested suspected members of a transnational fraud syndicate who allegedly ran an online-only operation directed by a Malaysian national, whom members said they had never met in person.
According to The Punch, the suspects disclosed that all activities of the network were coordinated remotely by the Malaysia-based figure, with instructions issued strictly through online communication channels.
In a statement on Monday, the command’s spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the suspects were apprehended in the Agbado area of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. He alleged that they were involved in a networking scheme called “Ignite,” which reportedly attracted foreign nationals to Nigeria with promises of wealth creation and business opportunities.
Babaseyi further stated that the group allegedly recruited individuals across several African countries, persuading them to pay for products that never arrived, while also encouraging them to bring in additional participants.
The police also accused the syndicate of staging a fake kidnapping involving a Mauritanian national, Cheikh Mhedy, with the aim of extorting 6.5 million CFA Franc from his family.
In a confessional statement obtained on Friday by Saturday PUNCH, one of the group’s leaders, 34-year-old Zadariah Sawadogo from Burkina Faso, said he arrived in Nigeria in 2023 in search of better prospects before being introduced to the “Ignite” scheme by a friend identified as Sebasien.
Sawadogo said, “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,” he said.
He explained that members were required to recruit others and pay for products allegedly supplied by the Malaysia-based operator in return for earnings tied to referrals.
“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 also revealed that he had sold family property in Ivory Coast to fund his participation in the scheme, only for the promised products to never arrive.
“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 N500,000 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,” he added.
Investigators also identified 25-year-old Sole Nata as the woman who allegedly lured Cheikh Mhedy into Nigeria after meeting him online.
Nata admitted she introduced him to the scheme after they began an online romantic relationship.
According to her, Mhedy arrived in Nigeria without sufficient funds to purchase the required products, prompting her to cover his payment.
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 N500,000 to pay for it,” she said.
However, she claimed that Mhedy later orchestrated a fake kidnapping narrative to defraud 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 further stated.
Another suspect, Togolese musician Kuneji Ezekiel, described himself as a victim of the scheme, saying he was misled into joining it with promises of financial success.
Ezekiel said he paid 400,000 CFA Franc for a product he never received before the police arrested the group.
“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,” he said.
Babaseyi warned residents to be cautious of fraudulent networking schemes operating under the guise of legitimate businesses.
He reaffirmed the command’s determination to clamp down on criminal networks and protect residents from online fraud.
He added that preliminary investigations suggested that some of those arrested may also be victims who were drawn into the operation.
According to him, such individuals have been handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further profiling and appropriate action.
