NANTA Dissociates From Travel Agent In EFCC Net

The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), has stated that the alleged travel agent paraded by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission ( EFCC) is not  its member and should not be addressed as a travel agent.

 

Mrs Susan Akporiaye President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (,NANTA) who clarified the position of the umbrella body travel trade operators in Nigeria,  on the status of kaduna based agency, noted that all available verifiable information at the disposal of the association, shows that the purported travel agent, has no relationship with the association and therefore, should not be so addressed.

 

Speaking at the sidelines of the official Opening of Travel Hub, a collaborative and one bustop facilities outfit  geared towards providing operational environment for upcoming and registered operators who may not afford the high cost of office space, Mrs Akporiaye, stated that nanta has invested time and money to address the various  challenges posed by touts in the industry, and warned members of the traveling public to circumspect when planning their trips and who to engage.

 

” Before covid, nanta launched its membership identify card with security features that cannot be cloned and it behoves on the traveler to request for the identity profile of the travel professional before doing business.

 

” We frown hard  at fraud in the sector and have taken critical measures to address it.” She further explained.

 

On measures to further check fake and fraudulent operators, Mrs Akporiaye disclosed that efforts are ongoing to educate and crate awareness among   security agencies on the measures put in place to muscle touts out of the system, adding that a recent visit to the office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) was rewarding while a visit to EFCC, will be initiated in earnest.

 

 

” It kills and demoralizes the efforts of registered and genuine travel professionals when touts are labeled as travel agents. It is demeaning and we pray that the security agencies and the media should reach out to nanta to verify such purported agent(s) before going public.

 

 

“We are ready to even disown our members who may run foul of the law and be seen to have defrauded any member of traveling public.

 

 

Recall that the anti graft agency Kaduna Zonal office  arrested one Mrs. Mary Aweh Olaleye,, promoter of Victoria Travels Resorts Ltd for allegedly obtaining N4,240,000.00 from two prospective travelers by false pretence.

 

She allegedly obtained the sum from the duo of Tochukwu Casmir Asika and Daniel Monday Alabi.under the pretext of helping to procure Canadian Visas and other travel arrangements for them.

 

The complainants alleged that sometime in 2018,they contacted the suspect to arrange a trip to Turks and Caicos Islands for them, for which they paid him the sum of One Million naira(N1,000,000,00) each, totaling Two Million Naira (N2,000,000.00).

 

Two days to their departure,  the suspect allegedly informed them that the trip had been put on hold and offered them an alternative; a visa to Canada  which they accepted and paid a cumulative sums of Four Million Two Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N4,240,000.00) respectively, for visa, consultancy fee and air tickets

 

 

 

The complainants further stated that after a long hiatus, the suspect called and issued them the Canadian visa and Yellow Fever cards, and informed them they will be travelling through Kenya.

 

However, upon arrival in Kenya, they were arrested by Kenyan Immigration Officials for possession of fake Yellow Fever cards and detained.

 

Upon, release from detention after being issued with new Yellow Fever cards, the duo made spirited efforts to contact the suspect to get her Kenyan Representative to assist them with the connecting flight to Canada but could not reach her as she had switched off her mobile lines. The complainants were later re-arrested by Kenyan Immigration and deported to Nigeria.

 

All efforts to retrieve their money proved abortive, hence the recourse to EFCC.

 

The suspect severally shunned invitation by the Kaduna Office of the EFCC until a lien was placed on her account. She was subsequently arrested at her bank in Abuja and brought back to Kaduna for further investigation.

 

She would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.