We take orders from Malaysia – Ogun fraud suspects

Authorities in Ogun State, Nigeria, have arrested members of a transnational fraud syndicate who allege their operations were coordinated entirely online by a Malaysian national they have never met. The suspects were apprehended in the Agbado area of Ifo Local Government Area.

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We took orders from Malaysia. Our boss is a Malaysian national, and I have never met him before. We only communicate on the internet.

The syndicate, operating under a networking scheme called "Ignite," allegedly recruited victims from various African countries. They promised lucrative wealth and business opportunities, persuading individuals to pay for products that were never delivered. The group also stands accused of orchestrating a fake kidnapping plot targeting a Mauritanian national, from whom they sought a ransom of 6.5 million CFA Franc.

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He said I would make a lot of money from the business, but before I was arrested, I had only received $90.

One of the arrested leaders, Zadariah Sawadogo, a 34-year-old from Burkina Faso, explained his involvement. He came to Nigeria seeking better opportunities and was introduced to the "Ignite Networking" scheme by a friend. "We took orders from Malaysia. Our boss is a Malaysian national, and I have never met him before. We only communicate on the internet," Sawadogo stated. He detailed how he persuaded his father to sell land in Ivory Coast for 1.6 million CFA Franc, which he then used to rent an apartment in Nigeria and order Ignite products. However, the products never arrived, and he had only received $90 as a referral bonus before his arrest.

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My father sold the land for 1.6 million CFA Franc and sent the money to me in Nigeria. I rented the apartment where we were arrested for N500,000 and used the remaining money to order Ignite products.