Potential immigrants should be cautious of a syndicate that specialises in giving fictitious employment letters to Nigerians seeking employment in the United Kingdom, UK, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In 2023, over 260,000 Nigerians sought assistance from the IOM regarding migration via authorised or normal routes and underwent Pre-Departure Medical Health Assessments. The IOM recommended Nigerians to obtain accurate information before to beginning any migration journey.
Read Also: Fake wine and soft drink factories in Aba exposed by NAFDAC
More than one thousand Nigerians were reportedly left stuck in the UK after being refused entry due to fake work letters they had received, even though the letters did not come from the organisations for which they had obtained visas.
At a press conference held in Abuja yesterday, Mr. Laurent De Boeck, the Chief of Mission at IOM, revealed this information.
He claims that some of the victims wasted up to $10,000 apiece in their vain attempts to get employment abroad.
He claimed that some of them were embarrassed to return to their families, while others did not have the wherewithal to do so, leaving them stuck in the UK.
Some of them lost more than $10,000, but they were provided fictitious work documents that let them obtain visas. When they arrive and show the letters, the organisations inform them that they are not the source of the letters. “It affects more than a thousand people,” he said.
According to De Boeck, IOM is collaborating with partners to bring thousands of people back from Tunisia, where there was a recent immigration ban, including Nigerians.
According to him, the IOM was collaborating closely with Italy to create regular routes for eligible Nigerians and would be involving other nations such as Spain, Belgium, France, and others.
According to De Boeck, there has been an approximate yearly rise of thirty percent in displacement in several North West states over the last five years.
He claimed that banditry incidents and other crimes were contributing to the rise, pointing out that Zamfara was still the region most affected.
“We have more migrants from Kano coming to our offices in Libya and Niger because there are people who have migrated and people who are internally displaced in Kano,” he said.
He claimed that in 2023, IOM was instrumental in meeting the housing needs of 71,666 people impacted by natural disasters and conflicts.
