From Tade Oludayo, Ibadan
The Nigeria Police have warned young Nigerian graduates, particularly ladies, to be wary of self-acclaimed travel agents who promise them juicy appointments in oil and gas organizations in Gulf countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia following the gory experience of two ladies just rescued by the Interpol from such fraudsters.
Parading the two ladies and a middle-aged man who claimed to be their travel agent to newsmen in Ibadan over the weekend, the Commissioner of Police for the state command, Alhaji Muhammed Katsina noted with concern that the ladies had been erroneously informed of waiting jobs for them in the Kuwait and Saudi oil sector only to arrive their destinations in those countries respectively to be engaged as househelps and toilet cleaners by their link persons.
The 39-year-old travel managing director of the travelling agency located at New Bodija in Ibadan, Victor Adelaja who also claimed to be a cleric in a new generation church in the locality had procured the travel arrangements for the ladies journey having billed them N150,000 each for the deals.
However, things went sour for the two girls on realizing that their dreams for oil sector offers were not to be as they operated under a very excruciating and energy sapping circumstance just as they were subjected to solitary life without food by their employers.
Consequently, they despatched Save-our-Souls (SOS) to their families in Nigeria for intervention while the police was contacted, and the Nigeria Police liaised with the Interpol that eventually effected their expatriation to the country last Thursday.
They were received by men of the Oyo State Command at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos before they were taken to Ibadan.
Narrating her ordeals, 28-year-old Biola Daramola who was rescued from Kuwait, said she had Diploma in Industrial Labour Relations and decided to travel abroad for greener pastures as she was told she would be employed to work in the oil and gas sector or in the alternative as a teacher or nurse.
She revealed that the link person in Kuwait later informed her that she could either continue to work as housemaid or take to prostitution to make ends meet, an option which she said she rejected as she managed to call somebody in Nigeria few days later and the information got to the police.
The other lady, 29-year-old Taiwo Ajayi, a single mother and a holder of Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting, told inquisitive journalists that she was rescued from Saudi Arabia, where she encountered similar experience.
The travel agent, who claimed to be a former branch service manager of a commercial bank, said he had earlier told the two ladies the conditions surrounding the Kuwaiti and Saudi employments adding that they both agreed before jetting outfor the oiffers.
He also claimed that his agency had previously fixed no fewer than 480 people in travelling abroad for study, work and stay.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of police had commended the grassroots intelligence of his Ambush Squad and the cooperation of necessary stakeholders, for the successful extradition of the victims back home.
