The International Organization for Migration [IOM], has advised potential migrants to be cautious of a syndicate that specializes in offering fake employment letters to Nigerians seeking to work in the United Kingdom and urging them to seek out proper information before embarking on any migration.
IOM disclosed that over 260,000 Nigerians had approached it in 2023, seeking guidance on how to migrate through regular or approved routes and undergoing pre-departure medical health assessments.
It said no fewer than a thousand Nigerians are currently stranded in the UK, having gotten visas based on the fake employment letters procured for them, only to get to the respective organizations in the UK and then be denied acceptance because the letters did not emanate from those organizations.
IOM’s Chief of Mission, Laurent De Boeck, disclosed this at a news conference Monday in Abuja.
According to him, some of the victims lost as much as $10,000 each in their desperate attempts to secure foreign jobs.
He said they are consequently stranded in the UK because some of them lack the means to come back, while others are ashamed of coming back to their families.
“There are some of them who lost over $10,000 only to be given fake employment letters, which allowed them to get visas. They get there, present the letters, and the organizations tell them that the letters did not emanate from the organizations. Over a thousand people are affected,” he stated.
De Boeck also added that IOM was working with partners to repatriate thousands of persons, including Nigerians, from Tunisia, which has recently placed a ban on migration.
He said the IOM is working extensively with Italy to develop regular pathways for qualified Nigerians and that it would also engage other countries like Spain, Belgium, France, and others.
According to him, “Collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria, IOM facilitated the return of 4,431 Nigerians and supported their reintegration. A total of 2,853 individuals received reintegration assistance, engaging in socio-economic opportunities of their choice.
By Kola Raji