Nigerian-Australian Woman Arrested for Exploiting Students in Fake Scholarship Scheme

Australian authorities have arrested Binta Abubakar, a 56-year-old Nigerian-Australian woman, for allegedly operating a fraudulent scholarship scheme that trafficked at least 15 students from Papua New Guinea into forced labour.

Abubakar was taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday upon her arrival at Brisbane Airport from Papua New Guinea, where she had been residing. The arrest follows a two-year investigation led by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team.

Between March 2021 and July 2023, Abubakar used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to offer fake scholarships to young adults aged 19 to 35 in Papua New Guinea. Promising full educational sponsorships in Australia, she lured victims with what appeared to be legitimate opportunities.

The company’s website claimed to offer a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment,” but investigators say it was a front for exploitation. Upon arrival in Australia, students were reportedly coerced into signing documents claiming they owed money for tuition, travel, visas, and legal fees—costs they were never informed about beforehand.

Instead of studying, the students were allegedly forced into unpaid labour on fruit farms across Queensland, including in Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe. Police state the victims worked grueling hours up to 10 hours a day, seven days a week in clear violation of their visa conditions.

Farmers reportedly paid wages directly to Abubakar, believing they were dealing with a legitimate labour provider. Authorities say she kept all the earnings under the guise of debt repayment.

When victims raised concerns or resisted, Abubakar allegedly responded with threats. According to police, she threatened to report the students to immigration authorities to trigger deportation and even went as far as intimidating their families back in Papua New Guinea.

“She would allegedly receive the wages on the workers’ behalf and withhold them,” an AFP spokesperson said. “If they refused to comply, Abubakar allegedly threatened to have the students deported or intimidated their family in PNG.”

Abubakar now faces 31 criminal charges, including:

• 4 counts of trafficking in persons

• 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services

• 13 counts related to causing individuals to enter into debt bondage

• She has been granted conditional bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on September 19.

AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer condemned the alleged exploitation, describing the case as a textbook example of modern slavery.

“Victims of debt bondage and human trafficking are often drawn to Australia with promises of a better future,” Telfer said. “When those promises are broken, it leaves them vulnerable, isolated, and trapped.”

He urged the public to report suspected human trafficking and reiterated that law enforcement prioritises the protection and welfare of victims over punitive action against them.