A BBC Africa Eye investigation has linked Nigerian medical doctor Kelvin Alaneme to a large-scale immigration scam, alleging he charged desperate job seekers $13,000 for fake UK care jobs.
The undercover report revealed that Alaneme, through his agency CareerEdu, was selling Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to Nigerians seeking to relocate to the UK.
The UK’s Health and Care Worker visa program, originally intended for medical professionals, became a lucrative target for fraudulent agents after being expanded to include care workers in 2022.
Alaneme was secretly filmed trying to recruit an undercover BBC journalist as an agent, promising payments of £2,000 per care home vacancy secured, plus a £500 commission.
He reportedly sold these job placements to Nigerians despite knowing that many positions did not exist.
One victim, Praise, recounted how he paid Alaneme over £10,000 for a job at Efficiency for Care, a company in Clacton-on-Sea. Upon arrival, he discovered there was no job for him.
The BBC investigation also exposed how fake payroll systems were used to make it appear as though workers were employed when they were not.
The UK government has cracked down on fraudulent sponsorships, revoking over 470 care sector licenses since 2022. Efficiency for Care was among the companies stripped of its sponsorship license in July 2023.
Alaneme has denied the accusations, claiming he has never defrauded anyone and that CareerEdu only connects candidates with legitimate employers.
He emphasized that any extra costs job seekers paid were set by recruiters, not his agency, and that refunds were available for unsuccessful applicants.
While some Nigerians have condemned him, others, including a former classmate, have defended his integrity, arguing that the BBC’s report might have been misleading.