TheCable

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 1,000 Nigerians are stranded in the UK after being victims of fake job schemes.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Laurent De Boeck, IOM’s chief of mission to Nigeria, said the victims of these scams have lost close to $10,000 each, adding that many of them have not returned home because of “shame”.

‘Japa’, as it is called in local parlance, describes a scenario that has seen many Nigerians migrate to other parts of the world for a better life.

However, many of them have been defrauded or have passed on due to the perils associated with illegal migration.

“There are some of them who lost over $10,000 only to be given fake employment letters, which allowed them to get visas,” the mission chief said.

“They get there, present the letters, and the organisations tell them that the letters did not emanate from them.

“Over a thousand people are affected.”

De Boeck said the number of migrants from Edo to Europe has declined owing to the state’s counter-trafficking measures.

“You may know that the highest number of people migrating to Europe are from Benin, Edo state, but that is changing now,” he said.

“We have seen the commitment of the governor of Edo on counter-trafficking has curbed the departure from Edo state.”

He said the international agency has worked with the federal government to reintegrate 4,431 Nigerians with their families.

“Collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria, IOM facilitated the return of 4,431 Nigerians and supported their reintegration,” he added.

“A total of 2,853 individuals received reintegration assistance, engaging in socio-economic opportunities of their choice.”

De Boeck added that in 2023, 260,000 Nigerians have sought his organisation’s help to migrate through the right routes, adding that many of them settled for the UK.