The Zone-2 Police Command in Lagos has successfully apprehended two suspected international fraudsters accused of forging foreign academic certificates in Lagos and Ghana.
The operatives demonstrated their integrity by rejecting a bribe offer of N66 million from the suspects.
The head of the Zone-2 Command, AIG Adegoke Fayoade, confirmed the arrests on Monday, identifying the suspects as 23-year-old Elvis and 24-year-old Kelly.
“These suspects, identified as Elvis, 23, and Kelly, 24, specialised in forging certificates from foreign institutions and African universities, deceiving unsuspecting victims online,” Fayoade revealed to the News Agency of Nigeria.
This is not the first time the Zone-2 Command has refused bribes from criminals.
Previous Bribe Rejection of N174 Million
In November, the same command made headlines for rejecting a N174 million bribe offered by another suspect attempting to avoid prosecution.
The suspects, who had acquired luxurious cars and properties through their illicit operations, were apprehended after the Anti-Corruption Unit acted on a tip-off from Nigerians living abroad.
The intelligence exposed their certificate forgery scheme, prompting detectives to track them to a five-star hotel in Lekki, where they were arrested while attempting to flee.
A search of their belongings uncovered a fake certificate from Blue Crest College in Ghana linked to Elvis, and a forged student ID card from Academic City College in Ghana belonging to Kelly.
Additional documents, such as transcripts and letters of recommendation, were also discovered. These fake credentials were reportedly used to secure Ghanaian resident permits under false pretenses.
“The information revealed a group specialising in forging foreign certificates. Acting swiftly, we deployed detectives who tracked the suspects to a five-star hotel in Lekki, where they were apprehended while attempting to flee,” Fayoade stated.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to paying 26,000 Ghana Cedis to a female Nigerian accomplice in Ghana for the fake documents.
Fayoade explained, “They admitted the documents were solely for evading arrest in Ghana, where they had no legitimate means of livelihood.”
The suspects were also implicated in online fraud, including romance scams and assisting in fraudulent financial transactions through foreign bank accounts.
Using a technique called “Facebook bombing,” they impersonated a U.S. Army officer, Captain Donald Rowe, to defraud unsuspecting victims while pretending to be stationed in Syria.
When investigations intensified, the suspects tried to bribe their way to freedom by offering the police N66 million.
“I instructed my men to play along and secure the bribe money as evidence. The amount has been duly recorded as an exhibit,” Fayoade said.
The Zone-2 Command has engaged the Ghanaian Embassy and Interpol to track down the suspects’ accomplices and verify the authenticity of the recovered documents.
“This case highlights our commitment to integrity and justice. We are determined to dismantle the network of fraudsters operating across borders,” Fayoade concluded.
This bold action by the Zone-2 Command reinforces their resolve to uphold justice and integrity in the face of transnational crime.
