Global direct-selling company QNET has thrown its support behind the Nigeria Immigration Service’s (NIS) crackdown on an alleged criminal syndicate accused of fraudulent recruitment, irregular migration and other unlawful activities, saying organised crime groups are increasingly exploiting the names of legitimate companies to deceive vulnerable victims.
The company issued the statement following the arrest of 12 suspects by the NIS during an intelligence-led operation targeting an alleged recruitment and migration syndicate. While some reports linked the suspects to a “QNET/IGNITE network,” QNET firmly denied any association with Ignite, insisting the two organisations are completely unrelated.
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According to the company, Ignite neither represents QNET nor has any authority to conduct business on its behalf, warning that any suggestion of a relationship between the two is inaccurate and risks misleading the public.
QNET commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for what it described as a successful intelligence-driven operation that led to the arrest of the suspects and the rescue of victims allegedly caught in the scheme.
The company said it has fully cooperated with investigators and remains committed to supporting Nigerian authorities by providing relevant information as investigations continue.
“Our commitment is to assist law-enforcement agencies in identifying and bringing to justice individuals who misuse our name to facilitate fraudulent recruitment, human trafficking, irregular migration or other criminal activities,” the company said.
QNET noted that the case reflects a wider trend in which organised criminal syndicates impersonate well-known companies to gain credibility and lure unsuspecting job seekers with false promises of employment, overseas travel, migration opportunities and guaranteed financial returns.
The company said law-enforcement agencies increasingly refer to this pattern as “Model Q”—a term describing criminal networks that unlawfully exploit established corporate brands to perpetrate fraud. It stressed that the phrase does not describe QNET’s legitimate direct-selling business but rather the illegal misuse of recognised brand identities.
QNET reiterated that it does not offer employment, work visas, overseas migration opportunities or guaranteed income through its independent distributors. Instead, its business is limited to the direct sale of wellness and lifestyle products.
It warned that anyone demanding money in exchange for jobs, travel opportunities, migration assistance or promised investment returns while claiming to represent QNET is acting without the company’s authorisation.
According to the company, it has become a recurring target of brand impersonation by criminal groups operating across several countries. To combat the trend, QNET said it has strengthened collaboration with law-enforcement agencies by sharing intelligence, supporting investigations and helping identify individuals exploiting its corporate identity for criminal purposes.
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The company urged members of the public to verify any opportunity presented in QNET’s name through its official communication channels before making payments or disclosing personal information.
The latest case underscores the growing challenge facing security agencies as transnational criminal networks increasingly weaponise the reputations of legitimate businesses to facilitate recruitment scams, human trafficking and irregular migration, making closer cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector critical to disrupting such operations.
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