The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Cross River State Command has dismantled a transnational fraud syndicate operating in Calabar and rescued 42 victims held in a secret indoctrination camp.

The operation, carried out between Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026, targeted a five-bedroom facility used by the syndicate to lure, defraud and indoctrinate job-seeking youths under the guise of a multi-level networking company.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the State Commandant, CC Okarazu Chima Eke, during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Calabar.

According to Okarazu, the syndicate advertised non-existent foreign job opportunities in countries like South Africa, Malaysia, and Ivory Coast to prey on desperate youths.

“Once a victim takes the bait, they are lured to this five-bedroom facility in Calabar and deceived into paying millions of Naira into a dedicated account under the false pretense of international document and visa processing,” he said.

After payment, the foreign job promise was dropped. Victims were then held in the facility, heavily indoctrinated, and forced into an illegal multi-layered marketing pyramid scheme.

“They are coerced to recruit at least two additional victims to have any hope of recovering their stolen funds. They claim to sell ‘biodics and jewelry,’ yet not a single victim we interviewed has ever seen a physical product. It is all a phantom enterprise built on visual representations on websites and mobile phones,” Okarazu stated.

During the raid, operatives rescued 42 individuals aged between 22 and 36 years.

The breakdown of those in custody includes 28 Nigerian males – comprising both victims and accomplices, 6 Nigerian females, 5 Cameroonian nationals, and 3 Beninoise nationals

The Commandant noted that all 8 foreign nationals were found without valid international travel documents. The NSCDC is working with the Nigeria Immigration Service to profile them.

He said that on the night of August 15, operatives also arrested the prime cell leader, Timothy Bayi, a native of Shiroro LGA, Niger State.

Bayi allegedly confessed to affiliation with a “major Service Compliance and Logistics Company headquartered in Lagos.”

“We are currently verifying the nature and extent of this claim. We will pull this network up by its roots, no matter how deep or highly placed their corporate sponsors may be,” Okarazu vowed.

The Commandant warned criminal syndicates against using Cross River as a base for human trafficking and economic fraud.

“To criminal syndicates who think they can use Cross River State as a safe haven for human trafficking and economic fraud, be warned. The NSCDC, under the leadership of our Commandant General, Prof Ahmed Abubakar Audi, possesses the intelligence capabilities to track you, expose you, and ensure you face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

He also Issued a public warning to parents and job seekers:

“There is no shortcut to wealth. Be extremely wary of unverified ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes, pyramid marketing structures, and individuals demanding millions of Naira upfront for foreign jobs.”

Okarazu said the Command is working with relevant agencies to ensure all suspects are charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.

The NSCDC boss commended his Intelligence Department and gallant officers for the successful, intelligence-led operation. (The Guardian)

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