World class scam:
Man fools, swindles 7,000 Nigerians over Canadian visa
•Held symposium, got police, court documents to convince
victims
Saturday, September 24, 2011
It was high drama recently in Lagos when over 7000 Nigerians
realized they had fallen prey to the tricks of one Fred Olawale
Makanjuola, owner of Crystal Services, an immigration
consultancy outfit.
Olawale packaged a programme, inviting Nigerians who want to
live and work in Canada to apply. The package he told them was
free and his agency would foot the bill while the applicants would
sign a bond to pay him back twice what he intends to spend. To
further convince them, he involved the services of the police that
provided Character Certificate clearance, the federal high court
where affidavit were obtained, St. Nicholas Hospital and the
National Hospital, Abuja for medical clearance.
Although the package was free, applicants paid at least N50,700
for registration. The victims cut across social and economic strata,
that even the enlightened were part of it. But how won’t one fall
for a trap where the master of the game staged a symposium at
UNILAG, invited people he said were from banks, Immigration,
NDLEA and others to coach the victims on how to travel to Canada
and actualize their dreams while maintaining clean image for
Nigeria.
Even applicants from nearby African countries travelled down to
Nigeria to benefit from this dubious programme.
The bubble burst when the National Agency for Prohibition of
Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) got letters sometime in June from
applicants trying to confirm whether Crystal Services was not into
human trafficking. The agency discovered that it was a scam and
visited the office at No. 8 Okuneye Avenue, Famous Bus Stop,
Pedro, Shomolu, with a search warrant when Makanjuola refused
to honour their invitation.
Addressing the confused crowd Mr. Josiah Emerole, Head of Lagos
Zonal office, who led the team to break into the office, told the
crowd that it was a scam as they had investigated and discovered
that the house indicated as his address was occupied by a young
couple and his business is not registered. “He honoured our
invitation, sometime in June and we asked him to provide
documents to help us ensure that it was not an agency for human
trafficking. We wrote to him severally and he failed to respond. It
was then that the agency decided to lock the premises and arrest
his secretary, Ronke Adeosun. It is with a search warrant that we
have come to open the office.”
The office was opened and cartons filled with Nigerian passports
were discovered. Emerole who showed the confused crowd the
passports asked them to go as the agency would contact them as
soon as investigation is complete. Meanwhile the victims who still
insist that their visas could still be in their passports besieged the
NAPTIP office in Ikeja. As at Thursday Saturday Sun had reliable
information that about 2000 of the passports that had been
opened, and none had visas. Efforts to get across to NAPTIP failed
as Saturday Sun was informed that a formal statement would be
issued when investigation is complete.
Perfected game
Makanjuola, a 32-year-old man placed an advert late last year on
TV and newspapers wooing interested Nigerians who dream to
travel abroad. Part of his promise was that the agency would bear
the cost of moving them out of the country, if they agree to pay
back with interest after they must have settled into their jobs.
Days after that publication, a crowd besieged his office indicating
interest. Before the advert, he had sold application forms for
N1000 but when he discovered the number of applicants, he
immediately hiked the fee to N50,700. On the sudden increase, he
told the applicants that he wanted to foot the bill for medicals but
the number of persons interested in the programme made it
impossible. According to some of the victims, he explained that
the amount is expected to cover medical clearance and
registration. Still that did not deter the teeming crowd from
picking the forms.
To further convince them that the scam was no scam at all he
directed them to Alagbon police unit in Ikoyi to obtain fingerprint
clearance. He also demanded sworn court affidavit indicating that
the amount spent on each of them is N750,000 and they are to
pay back double in two years.
They also filled a form for traveller’s cheque from GT Bank. He
later organized a symposium to enlighten his victims on what
they are expected to do when they get to Canada. The
symposium held at the UNILAG main auditorium on June 10 and
had one Mrs. D. O. Abidogun, claimed to be an immigration officer
from the Department of Human Trafficking, Dr. Anthony Clerk who
was the MC and one Barrister Odion a GTBank representative.
While it appeared the process was clean, he planted agents to
extort money from applicants with the excuse that they would
put their names in the first batch.
Text messages
To further convince them that he is grounded in his art, he sent
series of texts to applicants to inform them on plans for the trip.
To notify them of the travellers cheques he sent this text: “You are
hereby scheduled for an invitation to apply manually for your
Basic Travel Allowance at Crystal Services. Venue 8 Okuneye
Avenue, Famous bus stop. Date: 2nd August 2011. First session
10am to 12pm. Second session 1-3pm. 3rd session 3.30-4pm. Note
you are to tender the following – your sworn affidavit, 2 passport
photos, invitation sent by Crystal Services (not a forwarded
message)”
When his initial departure date of August 20 was fast
approaching, he sent this: “Thanks once again for believing in our
programme. We are earnestly working towards the success and
reality of our moving schedules, a slight change was made on our
date of departure which was due to the Ramadam season. Our
new date is September 11th and 12th 2011. Note, ensure you get
the carton colour or lace material.”
This came few days after: “Take notice of the under mentioned
dates: 11th day of September: Exhibition at the National Theatre,
12th day of September: Air lifting commences with applicant
registration numbers.13th Day of September: Air lifting continues
to the last registration number, 14th day of September, Foreign
orientation in Dubai for three days: 15th Movement to Manitoba,
Canada: 19th arrival party, 20th day of September Rest day, 21st
to 22nd of September: Registration, assimilation and association.
23rd to 29th day of September training and seminar: 29th of
September confirmation/collection of certificate. 1st of October,
collection of materials, 2nd of October Future begins. Signed
Crystal Services.”
On September 11, dressed in their uniform, his victims who bade
farewell to their families gathered at the National Theatre for the
exhibition and takeoff the next day as planned. About 7000
Nigerians waited anxiously until they received another text
message saying: “We are sincerely sorry for not meeting up with
our exhibition plan as scheduled, we want you to know that the
air lifting is most paramount and that has been our area of
concentration for days now. We therefore, implore you to please
bear with us as we will update you as we progress. Thanks! Pls.
pass this information to as many applicants you have around
you.”
They all dispersed and still the callous scammers sent another
message through their agent for each to pay N2000 to enable
them assist the airline operator to repair the plane. This amount
majority paid into an account before the cat was let out of the
bag – 7000 had been terribly fooled and swindled by one young
man in a grand scam.
Was the Canadian High Commission aware of the plans to issue
work permit to this number of Nigerians? Saturday Sun inquired.
According to their police liaison officer, the High Commission as
far back as May received letters from the victims trying to find out
whether the programme was genuine and they were told that it
was a scam.
One of the letters made available to Saturday Sun, the Deputy
High Commissioner of Canada, in it response to the victim said:
“There is no such programme, and this is a scam. Canada has no
fast-track programmes for immigration or work permits.
Individuals who wish to work in Canada should follow the
instructions and guidelines which can be found on the website at
www.nigeria.gc.ca or www.cic.gc.ca.”
According to the liaison officer, no High Commission appoints
agents outside the commission to run its activities. “Normally
work permits are not given outside the country, the individual
must have acquired a visa that befits that permit.”
When confronted with the allegations that Immigration service
was a part of the scam, Muyiwa Odunubi, Lagos command Public
Relation Officer debunked such allegation insisting that it could be
a case of impersonation. “If any of the victims have a proof that
an immigration officer was involved, let the person come
forward. We need a photograph of the event showing the
immigration officer. Let the victims help us to arrest this
impersonator. We are not aware that such an agency is existing
and did not at any time send a representative.”
Meanwhile Saturday Sun hopes to discover later how Makanjuola
was able to operate an account in a new generation bank with
fake identify in spite of the rules. We also hope to find out why
the police issued fingerprint clearance to more than 7000 persons
without raising an eyebrow and the Federal High Court that
issued same number of affidavits without confirming what all
these were about.
Tales of confused victims
Still finding it difficult to believe that they were defrauded most of
the victims who spoke with Saturday Sun said the programme is
real. They rather blame NAPTIP for destroying their dreams. They
also accused the federal government for failing to protect its
citizens from the fraudster because the agencies they were
referred to failed to alert them that the program was not real.
Emeka Okosun, a final year student of FUTO can’t believe the
outcome. “I was supposed to take aptitude test for a job my
father had arranged. How do I face my father, what will be my
story? I investigated well, I went as far as visiting a native doctor
in Ogun State and he confirmed that it was real. I know it is real,
its NAPTIP that wants to spoil the business.”
Suleiman a businessman in Kano blames the police for failing to
alert them, and said “I can’t believe that I have been defrauded. I
consulted an alfa and he confirmed it.”
Chidi who claimed to have resigned from a job that pays him as
much as N120,000 a month lamented that he sold almost
everything he had to embark on the trip. He claimed to have
given Olawale about N500,000 to ensure that his name is in the
first batch. “I investigated this matter properly. I even went to
GTBank and they confirmed that the travellers cheques had been
processed and handed over to Fred. If a bank as big as GT would
be convinced that this man is real why won’t I believe? If this is
scam then, the bank, police, Federal High Court, Immigration and
even lecturers are part of it. During the symposium at Unilag, a
staff of the bank addressed us on how to use the travellers cheque
when we get to Canada.
The immigration woman told us that it was real. The lecturer that
claimed he came from LASU was there. There was also a
representative from the NDLEA who advised us to stay away from
drugs. I am seriously suspecting that NAPTIP is a spoiler because
Fred refused to play ball.”
Another victim Lukeman Abiodun lamented that Fred collected
money from them and is still withholding their passport. “I am a
master’s degree holder and cannot believe what is happening. I
am sure that this man must have visited the highest juju in
Nigeria to perfect the plan.”
Faniyi Olalekan, is one of the lucky ones who parted with only
N75,000 before he discovered that it was a scam. He wrote a letter
to the embassy that informed him the deal was not clean.
A banker who is yet to come to terms that this is real thanked his
stars that he did not tender his resignation letter before the bad
turn of events. “My sister, I have my resignation letter in my
pocket as we speak. Thank God I did not submit it. Three of my
friends who were affected had resigned.” P

If this is true,it is indeed world class !
Please can you give a link to the source of your post?

At the end of the day nothing will come of this cos that agency is known for harrasing poor operators, these guys seem to be able to hire good lawyers. How can you be writing letters to people to "come and prove that you are genuine", which company law in Nigeria gives them that right.

@Justwise,
thank you for the link.

I investigated well, I went as far as visiting a native doctor
in Ogun State and he confirmed that it was real. I know it is real,
its NAPTIP that wants to spoil the business.”
Suleiman a businessman in Kano blames the police for failing to
alert them, and said “I can’t believe that I have been defrauded. I
consulted an alfa and he confirmed it.”Chidi who claimed to have resigned from a job that pays him as
much as N120,000 a month lamented that he sold almost
everything he had to embark on the trip. He claimed to have
given Olawale about N500,000 to ensure that his name is in the
first batch. “I investigated this matter properly. I even went to
GTBank and they confirmed that the travellers cheques had been
processed and handed over to Fred. If a bank as big as GT would
be convinced that this man is real why won’t I believe? If this is
scam then, the bank, police, Federal High Court, Immigration and
even lecturers are part of it.

He-he-he,funny
so the alfa and juju are also part of it.

Funny people,
he-he-he, i dey laugh oooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!