Nigerian woman arrested in Australia for reportedly trafficking 15 students

A Nigerian-Australian national, Binta Abubakar, has been taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over allegations that she trafficked students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and subjected them to unpaid farm labour under the false promise of education.

Abubakar, 56, was apprehended at Brisbane Airport on Wednesday following her arrival from Papua New Guinea, where she had primarily operated. The arrest is the result of a two-year probe led by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which began investigating her activities in July 2022 after receiving intelligence from Queensland Police.

According to an AFP statement, “A group of PNG nationals who had moved to Australia to study were instead allegedly forced to work against their will on farms.”

Authorities allege that between March 2021 and July 2023, Abubakar used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to lure at least 15 individuals aged 19 to 35 from PNG to Australia. The organisation promised them full educational scholarships, which the AFP now claims were fraudulent.

The company’s website advertised a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment,” but police say the students’ experiences told a starkly different story.

Once in Australia, the students were allegedly compelled to sign documents binding them to repay vaguely defined expenses such as tuition fees, airfare, visa costs, insurance, and legal services. To meet these financial obligations, the students were made to work long hours on fruit farms across Queensland—including in areas like Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe—often in breach of their visa conditions.

Police allege that the students were required to work “10 hours a day, seven days a week,” and that their earnings were collected by Abubakar to settle the purported debts.

“The farmers did not know of Abubakar’s alleged scheme,” the AFP stated.

The investigation further claims that Abubakar used threats and coercion to control the students. If they resisted or failed to comply, she allegedly warned them of deportation or threatened their families back 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,” the police noted.

Abubakar is facing 31 charges, including four counts of human trafficking, 14 counts of deceptive recruitment for labour, and 13 counts of engaging in debt bondage practices. She has been released on conditional bail and is scheduled to appear in court again on September 19.

Commenting on the case, AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said, “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 offences 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 encouraged the public to report any suspicious labour practices involving foreign nationals, adding: “The AFP can help people who are exploited. We are focused on ensuring the welfare of victims.”