A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on serious allegations of human trafficking and forced labour involving at least 15 Papua New Guinea nationals under the guise of educational opportunities.
Abubakar, 56, was taken into custody on Wednesday at Brisbane Airport shortly after arriving from Papua New Guinea, where she had been primarily operating. Her arrest marks the culmination of a two-year investigation by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team, which began in July 2022 following intelligence shared by Queensland Police.
According to the AFP, Abubakar used her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, to entice young adults from Papua New Guinea into Australia by offering full educational scholarships that turned out to be fraudulent.
“A group of PNG nationals who had moved to Australia to study were instead allegedly forced to work against their will on farms,” the AFP disclosed.
Victims, reportedly aged between 19 and 35, were brought into the country between March 2021 and July 2023. Upon arrival, they were allegedly compelled to sign binding legal documents obliging them to repay a variety of fabricated expenses, including tuition, visa fees, airfares, insurance, and legal services.
To cover these supposed debts, the students were forced into long hours of labour on fruit farms in Queensland, particularly in Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe, often in breach of their visa conditions. Many were said to be working “10 hours a day, seven days a week,” while their wages were allegedly withheld by Abubakar.
Police noted that the farmers employing the students were unaware of the alleged trafficking scheme. “The farmers did not know of Abubakar’s alleged scheme,” the AFP clarified.
In instances where students questioned the conditions or tried to resist, Abubakar allegedly threatened to report them to immigration authorities or intimidate their families back in Papua New Guinea.
“She would allegedly receive the wages on the workers’ behalf and withhold them,” the AFP said. “If they refused to comply, Abubakar allegedly threatened to have the students deported or intimidated their family in PNG.”
Authorities have charged her with 31 offences, including four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruiting for labour or services, and 13 counts of conduct causing a person to enter into debt bondage. She has been granted conditional bail and is due to reappear in court on 19 September.
Reacting to the case, AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer condemned the exploitation of vulnerable individuals under the pretext of better opportunities.
“The AFP is committed to protecting vulnerable foreign workers who are targeted by those driven by greed and profits,” Telfer stated.
“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,” he added. “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.”
He urged the public to report any suspected cases of exploitation, stressing the AFP’s ongoing focus on victim welfare. “The AFP can help people who are exploited. We are focused on ensuring the welfare of victims,” he assured.
This case emerges amid growing international concern over the exploitation of migrant workers. Less than two months ago, authorities in western Germany arrested 13 suspected members of a Nigerian mafia group involved in similar criminal networks.
