Binta Abubakar, a 56-year-old Nigerian-Australian woman, has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for allegedly trafficking students from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and coercing them into unpaid farm labour across Queensland, under the pretense of providing educational scholarships.
Abubakar was taken into custody on Wednesday at Brisbane Airport following her arrival from Papua New Guinea, where she had been primarily based. Her arrest is the result of a two-year investigation conducted by the AFP’s Northern Command Human Trafficking Team. The investigation began in July 2022 after a tip-off from Queensland Police.
According to the AFP, several PNG nationals who had travelled to Australia under the impression they would be pursuing studies were allegedly forced to work on farms against their will.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The dual citizen allegedly lured at least 15 Papua New Guinean nationals, aged between 19 and 35, to Australia between March 2021 and July 2023 through her company, BIN Educational Services and Consulting, under the false promise of full educational scholarships.
According to reports, the company’s website promoted a “holistic and modern approach to education, training, and employment.”
However, police revealed that the actual situation was starkly different from what was advertised.
After arriving in Australia, the students were allegedly pressured into signing legal agreements that bound them to repay vague and undefined “expenses,” including costs for tuition, flights, visa processing, insurance, and legal services.
To repay these so-called debts, they were reportedly forced to work on fruit farms in Queensland—particularly in areas like Lockyer Valley and Stanthorpe—often in breach of their visa conditions.
According to authorities, the students endured grueling conditions, working “10 hours a day, seven days a week,” while their earnings were allegedly confiscated by Abubakar to cover the fabricated debts.
The Australian Federal Police clarified that the farmers were unaware of Abubakar’s alleged exploitation scheme.
The report also claimed that when students resisted or failed to follow instructions, Abubakar allegedly resorted to threats—warning them that she would report them to immigration authorities or target their families in Papua New Guinea with intimidation.
According to police, she allegedly collected the students’ wages directly and withheld the payments.
“If they refused to comply, she would threaten them with deportation or use fear tactics against their families back in PNG,” the statement said.
Abubakar is facing a total of 31 charges, which include four counts of trafficking in persons, 14 counts of deceptive recruitment for labour or services, and 13 counts of conduct resulting in debt bondage. She was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on September 19.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer strongly condemned the alleged acts, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to protecting vulnerable foreign workers from exploitation driven by greed.
“The AFP is dedicated to safeguarding foreign nationals who are lured to Australia under false pretenses,” Telfer said. “Victims of human trafficking and debt bondage are often enticed with promises of free education or a dream job—opportunities they may not find in their home countries.”
He explained that when these promises are broken, the victims are left in extremely precarious conditions, stranded in a foreign land with little to no financial, emotional, or linguistic support.
Telfer urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases of exploitation, adding, “The AFP is here to support victims. Our priority is their wellbeing, and we encourage anyone aware of such exploitation to come forward.”
This incident occurred less than two months after authorities in western Germany arrested 13 alleged members of a Nigerian mafia group.
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