No fewer than 22 Nigerians have allegedly been defrauded of a total of ₦58.85 million in a suspected cross-border job scam in the Republic of Benin, with victims accusing a Beninese national, Akpadji Dossou Ignace, his wife and mother of orchestrating the scheme.

The victims, made up of 19 men, two women and one child, claimed they were lured to Benin Republic through promises of lucrative employment opportunities advertised on Facebook under the name “Akpadji David Sunday.”

According to the victims, the suspect told them that a company known as QNet was responsible for processing jobs for people of different professions in Benin Republic and promised them better living conditions and high-paying jobs.

Many of the victims reportedly paid millions of naira to secure the promised opportunities, attracted by the favourable exchange rate between the CFA franc and the naira.

One of the victims, a medical doctor, allegedly paid more than ₦6 million after being promised employment at a hospital in Benin Republic with a monthly salary of 800,000 CFA francs which is more than 2 millions naira.

However, the victims said that upon arriving in Benin Republic, they discovered that no jobs were available. Instead, they were allegedly confined in a building in Parakou, northern Benin, where they remained for about six months.

The victims alleged that they were repeatedly threatened and warned against leaving the premises. They claimed they were told they could be arrested and imprisoned if found by security authorities without proper documentation.

Sources familiar with the matter said the victims were subjected to difficult living conditions and were often poorly fed, surviving mainly on mangoes and garri.

The situation reportedly escalated after one of the victims was allegedly assaulted and locked in a separate room by the suspect. The remaining victims subsequently confronted him, attracting the attention of residents in the area.

The intervention of local residents led to the involvement of the Yoruba community leadership in Parakou, headed by Alhaji Saliu Ojubanire, who reportedly contacted Yoruba leaders in Cotonou.

Following the intervention, Akpadji Dossou Ignace, his wife and mother were arrested and taken to the Municipal Police Station in Parakou.

The Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou was subsequently informed, and the case was transferred to the Brigade Économique et Financière (BEF), Benin Republic’s financial crimes agency, for further investigation.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET), a special court responsible for handling financial and economic crimes in the country.

A breakdown of the victims and their alleged losses showed that Ajani Morufu from Ayedade Local Government Area of Osun State lost ₦2 million; Olukayode Michael from Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State lost ₦2 million; while Olukayode Opeyemi, also from Idanre, lost ₦2 million.

Others include Ime Moses (Idanre) who allegedly lost ₦200,000; Saka Musefu (Idanre), ₦2 million; Adesuyan Tolulope (Idanre), ₦2 million; Adesuyan Ore Ife (Idanre), ₦2 million; Godwin Temitope (Idanre), ₦2 million; Rotimi Goodness (Idanre), ₦800,000; and Akinmotade Bamikole (Idanre), ₦1 million.

Olaoye Kazeem from Ondo West Local Government Area reportedly lost ₦8 million, the highest individual amount on the list, while Wasiu Kareem (Idanre) allegedly lost ₦2 million and Adeluwoye Eniola (Idanre) lost ₦150,000.

Also listed among the victims are Olanrewaju Ayomide from Akure North Local Government Area who allegedly lost ₦600,000; Awote Kehinde (Idanre), ₦2 million; Ajakaye Emmanuel (Akure North), ₦2 million; Adetanmi Abayomi Ola (Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo), ₦4.3 million; and Adegoke Oluwadamilare (Idanre), ₦2 million.

Others are Oyadare Glory (Idanre), who allegedly lost ₦4.5 million; Akinduluremi Adebayo (Idanre), ₦6 million; Temitope Haruna from Owo area of Ondo State, ₦6 million; and Benjamin Peter (Idanre), ₦6 million.

Apart from cash payments, several victims alleged that their National Identification Number cards, bank cards, SIM cards, passport photographs and other personal belongings were collected during the period.

The total amount allegedly lost by the victims was estimated at ₦58,850,000, equivalent to approximately 24.6 million CFA francs.

Following the arrests, the victims were taken into the care of Alhaji Mutiu Olaoluwa, a leader of the Nigerian Yoruba community in Benin Republic, with support from officials of the Nigerian Embassy.

Community leaders have since warned Nigerians seeking employment abroad to verify job offers through appropriate authorities before making financial commitments.

They cautioned that the case highlights the growing danger of fraudulent overseas recruitment schemes targeting vulnerable job seekers in search of better opportunities.