Woman Charged in Australia for Trafficking PNG Nationals Through Scholarship Scam
A 56-year-old dual Australian-Nigerian citizen has been charged with 31 serious offences after allegedly luring Papua New Guineans to Australia under the guise of education, only to exploit them through forced labour and debt bondage.
The Australian Federal Police reported that between 2021 and 2023, the woman arranged for 15 PNG nationals to enter Australia, falsely promising them full scholarships. Upon or shortly after arrival, the victims were allegedly forced to sign legal documents binding them to repay unexpected expenses.
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| Woman Charged in Australia for Trafficking PNG Nationals Through Scholarship Scam |
According to investigators, these debts created an exploitative environment in which the victims were made to work on farms in Queensland. Their wages were reportedly collected directly by the woman and withheld as repayments for the fabricated debts.
The case surfaced in July 2022 when Queensland Police alerted the AFP’s Human Trafficking Team to a group of PNG nationals facing suspicious working conditions in Australia. A formal investigation was launched soon after.
She was arrested at Brisbane Airport on Wednesday after returning from PNG and appeared before Brisbane Magistrates Court the following day. She was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to reappear in court in September 2025.
The charges include four counts of human trafficking, 14 counts of deceptive recruitment, and 13 counts related to debt bondage. Penalties for the offences range from four to 12 years in prison under the Australian Criminal Code.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer urged the public to remain vigilant, saying that traffickers prey on vulnerable individuals by offering life-changing opportunities, only to trap them in exploitative arrangements.
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