Police reject ₦66 million bribe from international fraudsters, arrest suspects
Story by Victor Itodo ABUH
The Zone-2 Police Command in Lagos has arrested two suspected international fraudsters accused of forging foreign certificates in Lagos and Ghana.
Officers who apprehended the criminals rejected a bribe of ₦66 million from the suspects, identified as Elvis, 23, and Kelly, 24.
“These suspects specialised in forging certificates from foreign institutions and African universities, deceiving unsuspecting victims online,” said AIG Adegoke Fayoade, head of the Zone-2 Command, while confirming the arrests on Monday.
This isn’t the first time the Zone-2 Command has displayed such integrity. In November, the unit rejected a bribe of ₦174 million from another suspect trying to evade justice.
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The fraudsters, who reportedly acquired luxury cars and properties, were apprehended after detectives acted on credible intelligence from Nigerians in the diaspora.
Detectives tracked the suspects to a five-star hotel in Lekki, where they were apprehended while attempting to flee. Recovered evidence included a forged certificate from Blue Crest College, Ghana, a student ID from Academic City College, Ghana, and other counterfeit documents used to secure Ghanaian resident permits.
The suspects confessed to paying 26,000 Ghana Cedis to a Nigerian accomplice in Ghana for the fake documents. “They admitted the documents were solely for evading arrest in Ghana, where they had no legitimate means of livelihood,” Fayoade said.
“In addition to certificate forgery, the suspects allegedly ran romance scams and provided foreign bank accounts for fraudulent transactions through a method known as “Facebook bombing.”
“They impersonated a U.S. Army officer, Captain Donald Rowe, on Instagram, defrauding victims by claiming to be a soldier stationed in Syria,” Fayoade revealed.
The suspects attempted to buy their freedom by offering the police ₦66 million. Fayoade stated, “I instructed my men to play along and secure the bribe money as evidence. The amount has been duly recorded as an exhibit.”
“The Zone-2 Command is collaborating with the Ghanaian Embassy and Interpol to track 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.
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