Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Chief Executive Officer of TMT Travels and Tours, Ifeanyi Onukwubiri, reportedly appeared in court on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, amid allegations that hundreds of Nigerians paid the travel agency for visa-related services that were allegedly not delivered.
Onukwubiri has faced mounting complaints from Nigerians who accused the travel agency of collecting millions of naira for visa processing and other international travel arrangements but allegedly failing to provide the promised services or refunds.
The latest development follows months of complaints, police investigations and interventions involving alleged victims of the travel agency.
Reports in September said more than 200 alleged victims had come forward following Onukwubiri’s arrest and detention after social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, took up the complaints.
According to reports, the figure of more than 200 victims emerged from complaints gathered following the intervention and should not be treated as an established number of people defrauded by a court or law enforcement agency.
The controversy surrounding TMT Travels dates back to at least November 2025, when the Imo State Police Command announced an investigation into allegations of visa fraud against the company.
The police said at the time that nine Nigerian passports had been recovered from the agency and that Onukwubiri had been invited for questioning to assist investigators in establishing the facts of the allegations.
Several customers have subsequently publicly narrated their experiences.
In one case, a Lagos resident, Obimdi Innocent Iteego, told FIJ that he paid N3 million to TMT Travels in February 2025 for a Japan work visa. He alleged that the visa did not materialise and that his passport and money were not returned despite an agreement for a refund. He also claimed that more than 200 people had experienced similar problems with the agency.
In February 2026, a group of alleged victims also publicly accused TMT Travels of collecting large sums of money for visa applications and failing to deliver. The group claimed their combined losses were about N500 million, although that figure was an allegation by the complainants and is separate from the more than N200 million in receipts later cited by VeryDarkMan.
VeryDarkMan subsequently announced in August that Onukwubiri had been arrested in Imo State and taken to Abuja following a petition concerning the allegations. He said receipts presented to his organisation amounted to more than N200 million and called on other alleged victims to make statements to the police.
The case has generated considerable public attention, particularly because some alleged victims said they borrowed money or sold property to finance their travel plans.
However, the allegations against Onukwubiri remain allegations and have not been established as criminal liability by a court.
TMT Travels and Tours had previously rejected the allegations as “fake news” and defended its reputation when the complaints began gaining widespread attention in November 2025.
The police investigation subsequently became a formal legal matter, with reports indicating that Onukwubiri had earlier faced proceedings in Imo State following the investigation.
The current court appearance is expected to provide another stage for the allegations and responses from the parties involved to be tested through due process.
As the case progresses, the central issues include the payments allegedly made by customers, the visa and travel services they were promised, the status of their passports and refunds, and the responsibility of the travel agency in resolving the complaints.
For now, any claim that Onukwubiri “scammed” the affected Nigerians should be understood as an allegation unless and until a competent court establishes the facts and reaches a final determination.
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