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Nigerian woman arrested over trafficking of 15 students in Australia
Nigerian woman arrested over trafficking of 15 students in Australia
A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been apprehended by the Australian Federal Police for allegedly trafficking students from Papua New Guinea and forcing them into unpaid labour on farms across Queensland under the guise of educational scholarships.
56-year-old Abubakar was arrested on Wednesday at the Brisbane Airport upon arrival from Papua New Guinea, where she was primarily based.
Her arrest comes on the heels of a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which launched a probe into her activities in July 2022 after receiving a tip-off from Queensland Police.
According to the AFP, “A group of PNG nationals who had moved to Australia to study were instead allegedly forced to work against their will on farms.”
Abubakar reportedly lured at least 15 PNG nationals, aged between 19 and 35, to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023 through her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, by offering fake educational scholarships.
The report revealed that her company’s website claimed to offer a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment”.
However, police stated that the reality was far different.
Once in Australia, the students were reported to have been forced into signing a series of legal documents obligating them to repay unspecified “costs associated with tuition, airfares, visa applications, insurance, and legal fees”.
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To settle these debts, they were reportedly forced to labour on fruit farms in Queensland, including in Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe, often in violation of their visa conditions.
According to law enforcement, the students were made to work “10 hours a day, seven days a week”, while their wages were allegedly collected and withheld by Abubakar to pay off the so-called debt.
“The farmers did not know of Abubakar’s alleged scheme,” the AFP stated.
The report further revealed that when students resisted or failed to comply, Abubakar threatened to report them to immigration or intimidate their families back home in PNG.
“She would allegedly receive the wages on the workers’ behalf and withhold them.
“If they refused to comply, Abubakar allegedly threatened to have the students deported or intimidate their family in PNG,” the police noted.
The dual citizen has been charged with 31 offences, including four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services, and 13 counts of engaging in conduct that caused a person to enter into debt bondage.
Abubakar was granted conditional bail and is expected to appear in court again on September 19.
The AFP Detective, Superintendent Adrian Telfer, condemned the alleged forced labour, saying, “The AFP is committed to protecting vulnerable foreign workers who are targeted by those driven by greed and profits.”
He added, “Victims of debt bondage and other human trafficking offences can be lured to Australia with a promise of a dream career or free education—things they may not have access to in their country of origin.
“If the conditions of that promise change, it can leave victims in an extremely vulnerable situation in a foreign country, where they are likely to have little financial or emotional support and face issues with language barriers.”
Telfer assured the public that the AFP remained focused on victim welfare and advised them to report any suspected exploitation of foreign workers.
“The AFP can help people who are exploited. We are focused on ensuring the welfare of victims,” he said.
This incident comes less than two months after authorities in western Germany arrested 13 suspected members of a Nigerian mafia group.
Nigerian woman arrested over trafficking of 15 students in Australia
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Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid
Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid
Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Ayuba Hashimu, has dismissed viral reports alleging that bandits attacked a mosque in the council area, killing an Imam and several worshippers.
Some online platforms had circulated claims that armed bandits stormed a mosque in Sabon Birni, murdered the Imam and congregants, and abducted others.
However, Hashimu, speaking by telephone, described the reports as entirely false.
“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of killing of an Imam and worshippers. The story is false,” he stated.
A member of the state legislature representing the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, also debunked the claims, insisting that no mosque attack occurred on Saturday.
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“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he said.
While officials denied the alleged mosque incident, a separate early morning assault on Gatawa town within the same LGA resulted in five deaths and left one person critically injured.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Trust that six people — including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys — were abducted by attackers suspected to be bandits.
“The bandits invaded our community around 1:30 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. Our vigilantes engaged them, but four of them paid the supreme price on the spot. Two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the hospital, but one later died,” the resident said.
He added that the attackers also stole livestock as they fled.
“We heard them exchanging fire with security agents, but none of the abducted persons was rescued,” he recounted.
Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid
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FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools
FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools
The Federal Government has commenced the official recovery of 157 model Almajiri schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in a renewed push to overhaul Almajiri education across the country.
The move was confirmed by Nura Muhammad, spokesperson for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), during an interview in Abuja on Sunday. He described the recovery process as a crucial step toward fully revamping and institutionalising Almajiri education.
Muhammad explained that the effort follows the establishment of a legally backed national body now responsible for all Almajiri-related programmes — a structure he said was missing during earlier reform attempts.
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While commending former President Jonathan for constructing the schools, which he described as “a noble and well-intentioned stride toward modernising the system,” Muhammad noted that the previous initiative struggled due to weak policy implementation, including inadequate engagement with Alarammas, the traditional Qur’anic teachers who play a central role in the Almajiri system.
He added that the lack of a strong institutional framework — with the project operating only as an initiative under the Federal Ministry of Education — contributed to its challenges.
According to him, the Commission is now strengthened by law and guided by the newly adopted National Policy on Almajiri Education, positioning it to deliver sustainable reforms.
Muhammad expressed confidence that harmful practices linked to the Almajiri system would be addressed, emphasising that all recovered schools would soon be fully under the Commission’s control and rehabilitated to serve their original purpose.
FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools
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Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu
Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu
The Delta State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State, arresting key suspects linked to the case.
Spokesperson SP Bright Edafe disclosed on Sunday that operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on credible intelligence, apprehended 25-year-old security guard Godwin Mngumi on 6 December 2025. Mngumi allegedly murdered the retired judge, and authorities also recovered the deceased’s mobile phone from him.
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According to Edafe, Mngumi confessed to inviting a friend, Nnaji Obalum, and another accomplice — who remains at large — to the residence where the crime was committed. Obalum has since been arrested, while a manhunt continues for the third suspect.
The arrests mark a major step forward in the effort to bring all perpetrators of the high-profile murder to justice.
Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu
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