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Jun
Jun
NIGERIAN-AUSTRALIAN WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY TRAFFICKING STUDENTS FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA
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CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks
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A 56-year-old Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for allegedly trafficking students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and forcing them into unpaid labor on farms across Queensland. Abubakar was taken into custody at Brisbane Airport on Wednesday after arriving from Papua New Guinea. According to the AFP, Abubakar lured at least 15 PNG nationals, aged between 19 and 35, to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023 with false promises of full educational scholarships through her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting. The company’s website claimed to offer a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment,” but police say the reality was far different. Upon arrival in Australia, the students were allegedly coerced into signing documents agreeing to repay unspecified costs associated with tuition, airfares, visa applications, insurance, and legal fees. To settle these debts, they were reportedly forced to work on fruit farms in Queensland, including in Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe, often in violation of their visa conditions. The students were allegedly made to work “10 hours a day, seven days a week,” while their wages were 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. When students resisted or failed to comply, Abubakar allegedly 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 intimidated their family in PNG,” police noted. Abubakar has been charged with 31 offenses, including four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labor or services, and 13 counts of engaging in conduct that caused a person to enter into debt bondage. She was granted conditional bail and is expected to appear in court again on September 19. AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer condemned the alleged exploitation, stating, “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 offenses 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 urged 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.
