Cross River: NSCDC Rescues 42 From Fake Foreign Job Syndicate In Calabar
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Cross River State Command, has rescued 42 young men and women allegedly lured with promises of non-existent jobs in South Africa, Malaysia and Ivory Coast, and held hostage in a secret 5-bedroom facility in Calabar.
The victims, aged between 22 and 36, were rescued on August 14 and 15, 2026, during a coordinated, intelligence-led raid on what the NSCDC described as an "indoctrination and holding camp" operated by a transnational fraud syndicate.
State Commandant, CC Okarazu Chima, said the syndicate operated under the guise of a multi-level networking company and deceived desperate job seekers into paying millions of naira for "international document and visa processing."
“Once the money is paid, the foreign job narrative is instantly abandoned. The victims are then held, heavily indoctrinated, and forced into an illegal pyramid scheme,” Chima said.
“They are coerced to recruit at least two additional victims to have any hope of recovering their stolen funds.”
According to him, the victims were told they would be selling “biodics and jewelry,” but none of those interviewed had seen any physical product.
“It is all a phantom enterprise built on visual representations on websites and mobile phones,” he added.
The Commandant said operatives also arrested the prime cell leader of the syndicate, *Timothy Bayi*, a native of Shiroro LGA of Niger State, on the night of August 15.
Bayi allegedly linked the group to a major Service Compliance and Logistics Company headquartered in Lagos, a claim the NSCDC said it is currently verifying.
In a disturbing twist, 8 of the 42 persons in custody are foreign nationals found without valid travel documents. The breakdown is: 28 Nigerian males, 6 Nigerian females, 5 Cameroonians and 3 Beninoise.
“We are working closely with the Nigeria Immigration Service to properly profile the undocumented foreign nationals,” Chima stated.
He warned that the network is highly compartmentalized to shield top bosses, but vowed: “We will pull this network up by its roots, no matter how deep or highly placed their corporate sponsors may be.”
The Commandant also cautioned parents and job-seeking youths against “get-rich-quick” schemes and anyone demanding millions upfront for foreign jobs.
Timothy Bayi, the arrested cell leader, said a friend identified as Samuel introduced him to the network marketing business three years ago.
One of the victims, Ogar from Benue State, said a friend offered him a job in the United Kingdom.
“I attended an interview online and was informed that I was successful in June this year. My relatives helped me raise over one million naira which I gave to the firm only to end up in a room in a secretive five-bedroom facility in Calabar,” he said.
The NSCDC said investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion.
