What was once a lavish celebration for a beloved dog has taken on a disturbing new meaning after the man behind the party found himself facing scores of alleged victims who say they lost millions of naira in failed visa deals.
Owerri-based businessman and TMT Travels and Tours Limited boss, Ifeanyi Onukwubiri, popularly known as TMT, is at the centre of a growing visa-fraud controversy after more than 200 alleged clients reportedly stormed a police station with receipts, documents and painful stories of how their money allegedly disappeared.
The development came days after reports that Onukwubiri had been arrested in Owerri and transferred to Abuja by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Special Tactical Squad following a petition by the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, associated with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The latest police development has reopened a controversy that first attracted widespread attention in late 2025.
FROM DOG’S BIRTHDAY TO POLICE STATION
Before the allegations became a major public issue, Onukwubiri had attracted attention online for his extravagant lifestyle, including a lavish birthday celebration reportedly organised for his dog.
The celebration was anything but ordinary.
There were elaborate decorations, blue balloons, a grand backdrop and even a saxophonist brought in to serenade the dog.
Videos from the celebration showed women cheering and coaxing the apparently unimpressed animal as the musician played directly to it.
At the time, it was simply another extravagant social-media spectacle.
But months later, the contrast has become striking.
While alleged clients say they were battling financial ruin after paying for overseas travel and visas that never materialised, the businessman was publicly displaying a lifestyle of luxury.
THEN CAME THE VICTIMS
The latest confrontation reportedly brought more than 200 alleged complainants together.
According to reports, the individuals claimed they had paid TMT substantial sums for visa and travel arrangements to countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Japan and destinations in Europe.
Some allegedly paid between N1.5 million and N3 million for different visa packages.
The amounts being claimed vary between accounts. A group of alleged victims previously told FIJ that their combined losses were around N500 million, while documents and receipts reportedly presented during the latest intervention were said to represent more than N200 million.
For many of the complainants, however, the issue is not just about money.
It is about shattered plans, debts, lost opportunities and, in some cases, devastating consequences for their families.
One woman reportedly told the gathering that her husband suffered a fatal stroke after the family was plunged into severe financial and emotional distress following the alleged loss of their money.
Another alleged victim recounted how she and her family returned from Libya in search of a better future, only to allegedly lose their savings in the visa arrangement.
Their stories reportedly reduced some victims to tears as they confronted the man they had trusted with their money.
‘WHERE IS OUR MONEY?’
The allegations against TMT are not new.
In November 2025, the Imo State Police Command announced that it had begun investigating complaints against TMT Travels and Tours over alleged visa fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.
The police said nine Nigerian passports had been recovered and that Onukwubiri had been invited for questioning as investigators sought to establish what happened.
Several individual complaints had also emerged.
One man alleged that he paid N2 million for a Luxembourg work visa but received neither the visa nor a refund. Another Delta State resident said he paid N1.5 million for a Canadian work visa and was still waiting two years later.
In another case, a Lagos resident alleged that he paid N3 million for a Japan work visa and that his passport was kept for months without the promised visa materialising.
There were also reports of clients allegedly suffering serious financial and personal difficulties after the failure of the promised travel arrangements.
MORE THAN 200 COMPLAINANTS
The latest development has taken the controversy to another level, with more than 200 alleged victims reportedly submitting their accounts and supporting documents to the police.
The sheer number of complainants has intensified calls for a thorough investigation into the travel company’s dealings and the whereabouts of the money allegedly paid by customers.
The police investigation is expected to establish whether criminal offences were committed, how many people were affected, the actual amount involved and what happened to the funds paid for the various visa services.
For now, the allegations remain allegations, and Onukwubiri has not been convicted of any offence.
Earlier, amid the controversy, he reportedly said customers who no longer wished to continue with their visa applications could request refunds.
But for the alleged victims now crowding police stations, the demand appears simple:
They want their money back — and they want answers.
And the extravagant dog party that once symbolised a life of luxury has suddenly become an uncomfortable backdrop to a much bigger question: what happened to the millions allegedly paid by desperate Nigerians chasing a better life abroad?
