Nigerian-Australian Woman Arrested in Australia for Trafficking 15 Students
A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for allegedly trafficking 15 students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and forcing them into unpaid farm labour across Queensland, under the false pretense of providing educational scholarships.
The 56-year-old was detained on Wednesday at Brisbane Airport upon her return from PNG, where she had primarily operated.
Her arrest follows a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which began in July 2022 after receiving a tip-off from Queensland Police.
According to the AFP, Abubakar allegedly used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to lure young adults aged 19 to 35 from PNG to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023, promising them full scholarships. However, instead of studying, the victims were allegedly forced to work long hours on fruit farms in areas such as Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe, often in breach of their visa conditions.
The company’s website had advertised a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment,” but police said the reality was starkly different.
Once in Australia, the students were allegedly coerced into signing documents that bound them to repay unspecified costs for tuition, airfares, visas, insurance, and legal fees.
To pay off these so-called debts, they were forced to work 10 hours a day, seven days a week, with their wages allegedly collected and withheld by Abubakar.
The AFP emphasized that the farm operators were unaware of the alleged trafficking scheme.
Authorities further allege that Abubakar threatened to report non-compliant students to immigration or intimidate their families in PNG if they resisted her control.
She has been charged with 31 offences, including; 4 counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services, 13 counts of engaging in conduct causing debt bondage.
Abubakar was granted conditional bail and is scheduled 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 warned that false promises of free education or jobs often lure victims to Australia, only to leave them trapped in vulnerable situations with limited support and language barriers.
Telfer urged the public to report any suspected cases of worker exploitation, assuring that the AFP prioritizes victim welfare.
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This arrest comes shortly after a separate international crackdown in Germany, where 13 alleged members of a Nigerian mafia group were taken into custody.
