Ondo police arrest woman for allegedly scamming 93 travellers of N42.3m
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 33-year-old woman, Adejoke Ayomide, for allegedly defrauding more than 90 prospective travellers of N42.3 million through a fake visa scheme.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said in a statement on Thursday that the suspect, an Abeokuta, Ogun State resident, allegedly collected N42,326,000 from victims after promising to secure travel visas to Spain, Portugal and France.
According to the police, the case followed a petition dated July 17, 2026, submitted by Barrister Akindayomi Oluwa Tobi & Associates on behalf of the victims, alleging that the suspect received payments between October 2024 and April 2026 but failed to provide the promised visas.
Police said the suspect allegedly received the money through her Opay account for the processing of travel documents for more than 93 intending travellers before becoming unreachable, prompting the victims to seek police intervention.
Following the petition, detectives launched an intelligence-led investigation, tracked the suspect to her hideout and arrested her during an operation on August 5, 2026.
The police said the suspect remains in custody and has made useful confessional statements, while investigations continue to identify possible accomplices, determine whether there are additional victims and conclude arrangements to charge her in court.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, commended the detectives for the successful operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating financial crimes across the state.
He also urged Nigerians to verify the credibility of travel agents before making payments and encouraged members of the public to promptly report suspected fraudulent activities to the nearest police station.
