NDLEA warns Nigerians against fake officers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has issued a warning to the public, particularly those with relatives living overseas, about a new fraudulent scam being carried out by individuals pretending to be NDLEA officials.
Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, made this announcement in a statement on the agency’s website on Saturday. regarding a new fraudulent scheme. Scammers are posing as NDLEA officers and contacting unsuspecting citizens to inform them of their relatives’ arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, or any other international airport in Nigeria. The scammers assert that they discovered illegal drugs in the arrested individuals’ possession upon their arrival in the country.
After instilling fear among the family members, the fraudsters proceed to demand millions of naira to expedite the release of these individuals from NDLEA custody.
In the past, we have successfully prevented numerous attempts of this nature by contacting the agency’s official contacts for assistance or explanation at the request of family members.
Currently, the agency has just investigated one such situation. A picture of a Nigerian man based in the US is being circulated, along with audio of a purported NDLEA officer negotiating a payment of N5 million with a female relative for the release of a US-based Nigerian man who was arrested at the Lagos airport on Friday, March 22nd, upon arrival with ‘contraband’.
Just as in past cases, our research has revealed that the present situation is the work of fraudsters.
No NDLEA officers participated in the audio chat, and neither MMIA nor any of our commands currently hold the subject on tape.
We caution the family members involved in this instance not to give their hard-earned money to crooks.
We also ask Nigerians with loved ones overseas to keep discussions about their relatives’ trip intentions private to prevent criminal groups from using these plans for nefarious schemes Babafemi revealed.
By Nnaemeka Odenigbo
