The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismantled a transnational organised crime syndicate linked to the QNET/IGNITE network, arresting 12 suspects, including the alleged kingpin, and rescuing two victims during intelligence-led operations in Lagos State.

The Service disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Public Relations Officer, DCI A.S. Akinlabi, who said the operation followed actionable intelligence on a trafficking and fraudulent recruitment network operating in the state.

According to the statement, the alleged leader of the syndicate, Ouattara Adama, a Burkinabe national, was arrested alongside 11 suspected facilitators comprising eight Liberians and three Cameroonians.

The operation also led to the rescue of two Liberian nationals identified as victims of the group’s alleged illegal activities.

Akinlabi said all 12 suspects, along with the rescued victims, had been transferred to the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters for further investigation and possible prosecution.

He described the QNET/IGNITE network as a transnational organised criminal syndicate allegedly involved in fraudulent employment and business schemes designed to lure victims into irregular migration and exploitation.

The Immigration Service advised members of the public to verify all employment, education, business and migration offers through appropriate government channels before making financial commitments or travelling abroad.

According to the Service, the arrest of the syndicate’s alleged leader and other facilitators highlights its commitment to intelligence-driven border management and the fight against transnational organised crime.

The NIS added that the operation aligns with ongoing efforts to curb irregular migration and dismantle criminal networks operating within and across Nigeria’s borders.

Investigations are continuing to identify other members of the syndicate and trace additional victims across the country, the Service said.