A protest against the rising number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) scams in Nigeria has been organized by several Nigerians residing in the UK. The demonstrators voiced their displeasure with the increase in fraudulent activities that target people looking to receive sponsorship for employment in the UK.
According to information obtained by this newspaper, some Nigerians living in the UK gathered to take part in the protest on Thursday accessed by BrandSpur digital news platform on London’s Marsham Street. During their protest, the demonstrators called for justice and prompt action, naming several suspects implicated in the scams. They called on the government to act more forcefully to stop these fraudulent activities.
The Certificate of Sponsorship visa program was established by the UK government to enable authorised companies to employ foreign nationals and bring them into the EU. Only with the assistance of specific approved companies, also referred to as sponsors, can foreign workers apply for a visa from their home countries. However, a lot of desperate foreign workers who have applied for these visas have been tricked by unscrupulous agents and companies who want outrageous payments in return.
According to research, some immigrants who have worked in blue-collar jobs in the past leave with the assurance from their agents that they will be able to obtain skilled jobs in the UK.
However, after losing millions of naira on relocation, many become unemployed and stranded in the UK, relying on food banks for survival. In a live TikTok video, Christiana Olabisi, also known as Ferrari, was seen calling for scam victims to participate in the protest while brandishing a loudhailer.
According to her: “No more scamming. Enough is enough. Whether you like it or not, all of you are going to get reported. We are here waiting for you, for those of you still wanting to join the protest, we are waiting for you. Don’t let anybody scare you. This is a country where you can speak up. Don’t let anyone scare you with deportation. If anyone has collected money from you, this is the time to speak up. Tomorrow may be too late.
“We have a lot of people making others cry in this country. A group of people collecting huge sums of money from the newcomers; we are here to inform the Home Office about what is going on in this country. They don’t even know the huge sums being collected. We are going to expose you,” she added.
30 suspects were identified with their images in an e-flier that was sent on X last week and transformed into a banner on the protest site. Say No To UK CoS Scam was the title of the flyer, which said, “Faces of people scamming people with thousands of pounds for CoS in the UK.”
In an interview, Olabisi stated that the demonstration in front of the UK Home Office drew roughly ten participants. She said: “One of the officials later addressed us that we should write a formal letter for the Home Office to address our grievances.”
Hundreds of people who joined the broadcast on TikTok and identified themselves as UK residents praised the demonstration’s organisers during the London protest. One caller, who wished to remain anonymous, described how a scammer had stolen £15,000 from his acquaintance, revealing: “My friend, along with his wife and two children, paid a whopping £15,000 to a guy in the UK for a Certificate of Sponsorship. I warned them not to, but they didn’t listen. When they got to Manchester, I learned they paid even more money to another person for the same CoS. But nothing came out of it.”
Continuing, another woman, Ehizojie Joy revealed: “I have been here for two years, yet no shifts from my employer after paying £10,000. I have only been managing 20-hour shifts from another employer.”
Musa Eunice, a content creator, also talked about her story of being defrauded of £20,000 by a scammer, saying: “Na £20,000 they collected from my cousin. Wicked people.”
Other victims shared similar experiences in the comments section. As stated by Juicy Cake1: “I got duped £3,000. The person who scammed me is on the list.”
Sovereign_ruler, another user, described how the hoax had devastated his mother. He penned: “My mom has been in pain after being scammed out of her hard-earned money by one Toyin.”
CoS scams are fast becoming incessant, and hundreds of people are falling victim.
