The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) issued a warning on Saturday regarding a new fraudulent scheme targeting unsuspecting citizens, particularly those with relatives abroad, by scammers impersonating its officers.
According to Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the scam involves individuals receiving calls claiming that their relatives have been arrested at international airports in Nigeria, such as the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, for smuggling illicit drugs into the country.
Babafemi explained that these scammers instigate panic among family members and then demand large sums of money, often millions of naira, to secure the release of the alleged detainees.
He emphasized that the NDLEA has encountered similar situations in the past and has successfully intervened when family members reached out to the agency for assistance or clarification.
The agency recently investigated a case where a Nigerian based in the US was falsely portrayed as being detained at the Lagos airport, with scammers circulating his photo alongside an audio recording of a purported NDLEA officer negotiating a ransom with a female relative.
However, Babafemi clarified that no NDLEA officer was involved in the conversation, and the individual depicted in the photo was not in the agency's custody at the airport or any other NDLEA command.
The NDLEA cautioned family members not to succumb to these scams and advised them not to transfer their hard-earned money to fraudsters.
Furthermore, Babafemi urged Nigerians to refrain from discussing their relatives' travel plans openly to prevent such information from being exploited by criminals.
For those encountering similar situations or seeking clarification, the NDLEA provided contact lines: +2347064670026 and +2348033326327.
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