The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismantled an alleged transnational organised criminal syndicate linked to the QNET/IGNITE network, arresting a Burkinabé national identified as the group’s alleged ringleader, 11 other foreign suspects, and rescuing two Liberian victims.

The Service disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi.

According to the statement, the operation forms part of the NIS’s sustained efforts to combat irregular migration, human trafficking, and other forms of transnational organised crime across the country.

The NIS said the syndicate, allegedly operating under the guise of the QNET/IGNITE network marketing group, had been active in Lagos and Ogun states, where it lured and exploited foreign nationals through fraudulent migration and business schemes.

The Service explained that the breakthrough followed actionable intelligence on the activities of trafficking syndicates operating across Lagos and Ogun states.

“As part of the ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and transnational organised crimes in the country, the Nigeria Immigration Service has dismantled a fraudulent network marketing ring linked to the QNET/IGNITE group, a transnational organised criminal syndicate active in Lagos and Ogun States,” the statement read.

According to the NIS, intensified operations led to the arrest of Ouattra Adama, a Burkinabé national and the alleged leader of the syndicate, alongside 11 other suspected facilitators in different parts of Lagos.

The suspects comprise eight Liberians and three Cameroonians, while two Liberian nationals believed to have fallen victim to the syndicate’s activities were rescued during the operation.

“The operational breakthrough was based on actionable intelligence on the activities of trafficking syndicates across Lagos and Ogun States. Consequently, the Service intensified its operations, leading to the arrest of one Ouattra Adama (M), a Burkinabé national and alleged leader of the QNET/IGNITE syndicate, alongside eleven (11) other suspected facilitators, comprising eight (8) Liberians and three (3) Cameroonians in various parts of Lagos. The operation also led to the rescue of two (2) Liberians who are victims of their illegal activities,” the statement added.

The Immigration Service disclosed that all 12 suspects, together with the two rescued victims, have been transferred to the Service Headquarters in Abuja for further investigation and possible prosecution in accordance with Nigerian law.

The Service warned members of the public to exercise caution before accepting offers relating to employment, education, business opportunities, or migration, noting that criminal syndicates often exploit such promises to deceive unsuspecting victims into trafficking, fraud, and other forms of exploitation.

The NIS maintained that the latest operation reflects its commitment to intelligence-driven border management and the fight against irregular migration and transnational organised crime.

It added that the arrest of the alleged syndicate leader and other suspects underscores the Service’s determination to dismantle criminal networks operating within Nigeria while protecting vulnerable persons from trafficking and related offences.

The Service noted that the operation aligns with the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen border security, curb irregular migration, and combat transnational organised crime across the country.