Nigerian Woman Arrested In Australia For Trafficking 15 Students With Fake Scholarships

A 56-year-old woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested in Australia over claims she tricked students from Papua New Guinea into travelling to Australia under the promise of fake scholarships.

Binta Abubakar, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Australia, was picked up by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday, June 11, at Brisbane Airport.

The 56-year-old suspect had just returned from Papua New Guinea, where she reportedly spent most of her time.

Her arrest follows a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Human Trafficking Team, which began looking into her activities in July 2022 after Queensland Police received a tip-off.

According to police, Abubakar allegedly brought at least 15 young adults, aged 19 to 35, from PNG to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023.

She reportedly used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to offer them what appeared to be full scholarships for education and training in Australia.

The company’s website promoted a modern and “holistic” approach to education and career development. But police say what the students actually got was far from that promise.

Once in Australia, the students were reportedly pressured into signing legal documents committing them to repay various costs, such as tuition, visas, travel, and insurance. The supposed scholarships turned into debt traps.

To pay off these debts, the students were allegedly forced to work on fruit farms in Queensland, including areas like Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe.

According to police, the students were made to work “10 hours a day, seven days a week,” while their wages were allegedly collected and withheld by Abubakar to pay off the so-called debt.

“The farmers did not know of Abubakar’s alleged scheme,” the AFP stated.

When students pushed back or refused to comply, police allege Abubakar threatened to report them to immigration authorities or scare their families in PNG to keep them in line.

Abubakar now faces 31 charges, including trafficking, misleading recruitment, and forcing people into debt bondage.

She has been granted conditional bail and is due back in court on September 19.

Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer of the AFP condemned the alleged abuse, saying the agency is committed to protecting vulnerable foreign workers from those who exploit them for profit.

He said, “The AFP is committed to protecting vulnerable foreign workers who are targeted by those driven by greed and profits.” 

“Victims of debt bondage and other human trafficking offences can be lured to Australia with a promise of a dream career or free education—things they may not have access to in their country of origin. 

“If the conditions of that promise change, it can leave victims in an extremely vulnerable situation in a foreign country, where they are likely to have little financial or emotional support and face issues with language barriers.”

KanyiDaily recalls that a Nigerian tech queen, Sapphire Egemasi, was recently arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a major fraud case in the United States.