TMT Travels CEO Arrested in Imo Over Fresh Visa Fraud Petition, ₦200m in Receipts Alleged

The Chief Executive Officer of TMT Travels and Tours Limited, Ifeanyi Onukwubiri, has reportedly been arrested in Owerri, Imo State, and transferred to Abuja over a fresh petition alleging visa fraud involving millions of naira.

The reported arrest was announced by social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, who said it followed a petition filed by his organisation, the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, MVOI. He said operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Special Tactical Squad, led by ACP Victor Ogbeide, arrested Onukwubiri in Owerri before taking him to Abuja.

Otse claimed receipts submitted to his organisation by complainants currently account for more than ₦200 million in alleged payments connected to visa and travel transactions. He also said he later met Onukwubiri in Abuja, where the travel operator allegedly indicated that he was prepared to resolve complaints and issue refunds. That account has not been independently confirmed by Onukwubiri.

The latest development revives a controversy that became a major public issue in November 2025, when several customers accused TMT Travels of taking money for overseas visa and employment processing without delivering the promised services or refunds. Some complainants also alleged that their international passports had been retained by the company.

TMT Travels initially rejected the accusations. In a November 26, 2025 statement, the company described the allegations circulating online as “fake news”. Two days later, however, the Imo State Police Command announced an investigation into allegations of visa fraud and obtaining money under false pretence. Police said nine Nigerian passports had been recovered and Onukwubiri was invited for questioning.

The matter subsequently reached court. The Imo Police Command said Onukwubiri was arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Owerri on December 4, 2025, following the conclusion of its Monitoring Unit investigation. He was granted bail and released to a surety, while the case was adjourned for further proceedings. Onukwubiri later said the company was committed to resolving disputes with aggrieved customers and improving communication with clients.

Complaints continued into 2026. In January, customer Obimdi Innocent Iteego alleged that he paid ₦3 million for a Japan work visa but received neither the visa nor a refund, while also claiming that his passport remained with the company. In February, more than 19 alleged victims appeared in a video with VeryDarkMan and claimed that their combined losses were about ₦500 million. That figure was an allegation by the group and is separate from the more than ₦200 million in receipts Otse says has so far been submitted to his organisation.

On August 28, 2026, Otse announced that the MVOI petition had led to the latest reported arrest and urged other people with complaints against TMT Travels to come forward and have their cases documented for investigators. As of publication, the Nigeria Police Force had not publicly issued a detailed statement confirming the latest arrest, the specific allegations being investigated or Onukwubiri’s current legal status. The allegations against him remain unproven unless established by a court of competent jurisdiction.