When Ese Udodi (pseudonym), a chef from Edo State, paid N1.4 million to AirJara Travels and Tours, a travel agency owned by Abi Otedola, in 2023 to secure a Polish work permit, she thought it was the solution to life’s mounting challenges. A year later, that decision has turned into her worst nightmare.
Udodi told FIJ that she travelled from Benin City to AirJara’s office in Lagos to ensure she wasn’t falling victim to fraudsters. Despite her efforts, she still lost her hard-earned money.
Recounting how she discovered AirJara Travels and Tours, Udodi said she was scrolling on Instagram sometime in 2023 when she saw an advert from the travel agency. According to Udodi, the agency claimed to assist Nigerians in obtaining work permits for countries like Poland and the Czech Republic.
Intrigued by this offer, Udodi called the phone number in the advert and introduced herself. She told the representative who answered her call that she had just lost her marriage and job. She expressed her desperation to leave Nigeria by any means.
READ MORE: Lawyer Demands N1bn From Lagos Man for Revealing Abi Otedola, AirJara’s N1.7m Debt
“Over the next few days before I got to Lagos to investigate them, this representative called to check on me. When I finally arrived at their Lagos office, AirJara Travels and Tours showed me their success rate and the work permits they had helped other people get,” Udodi told FIJ.
“I asked how genuine they were, and the representative assured me they were 100 per cent reliable. She gave me a form to fill out and advised me to strike out the Czech Republic as an option because, according to her, they were racists. She recommended Poland instead due to their high success rate with Polish applications.”

When Udodi enquired about the processing time, she was told it would take three to five months. The representative also assured her that the work permit would guarantee her visa. Convinced of their legitimacy, Udodi requested their account details and made a part payment of €1,300 (N1.4 million in September 2023) towards the total fee of €2,400.
During this period, she obtained a police character certificate on the representative’s advice and even sold her car to raise additional funds for her relocation.
“After making the payment, the representative promised to send an agreement form via email. She also requested my passport and CV, which I submitted. I returned to Edo State, but days passed without any communication from them. I started calling,” Udodi said.
“She then said she had sent my passport and CV to Poland and that I should wait for a response from them. After some time, she said I was supposed to pay a value-added tax of N200,000. Her reason was that the money I sent was not enough.
“I refused to send the money. I asked her to add the VAT to what I would pay during the second instalment. I kept waiting for a response, but at that point, their numbers stopped connecting. Three months later, I started sending emails when I got nothing from them. The first response I received was dismissive and unprofessional.”
Udodi said the respondent, who she believed was Abi Otedola, asked her via email why she was calling when the date they promised to get her visa had not elapsed.
“A few months later, she emailed and said I should pay the full balance of €1,200 before they continued the permit application process. I was shocked. I tried complaining, and she told me to go to court if I was not pleased. She was not remorseful,” Udodi said.
When FIJ emailed AirJara Travels and Tours for comments on Saturday, their lawyer said they closed operations in January 2024 and finally stopped operations in September 2024 due to the crash of the naira.
“AirJara Travels and Tours has over 45,000 clients, many of whom received their work permits but had their visas denied by embassy officials. Some clients reportedly did not know how to verify their permits themselves,” the lawyer said.
“If some people are not lucky, you cannot blame an agent who told you in their consultation form and contracts that they are middlemen.”
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