The Nigeria Police Force has apprehended three individuals allegedly involved in a syndicate engaged in forgery, extortion, and counterfeiting of the Nigeria Police Character Certificate. The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon Lagos, ASP Aminat Mayegun, confirmed the arrests during a parade of the suspects in Ikoyi on Tuesday.
The arrests resulted from a special sting operation initiated on November 16, 2023, to dismantle the criminal network. Mayegun explained that the operation was launched in response to a report from an innocent victim who unknowingly submitted counterfeited documents for her visa application at the UK Embassy. The forged certificate led to the refusal of the visa, and the applicant was banned from entering the country for a decade.
The three suspects arrested include Chinedu Agbosim, the shop owner, and the principal suspects, Mariam Dauda and Ebighose Anderson, who were computer operators recruited by Chinedu. Mayegun stated that all the suspects admitted to their respective roles in processing fake police character certificates at a shop located around the Federal Training Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.
During the execution of a search warrant at the shop, law enforcement recovered three counterfeit police character certificates and various documents belonging to Nigerian citizens. Among the seized items were a computer-generated signature specimen bearing the name of CP CCR, CP Olaolu Adegbite, dated November 16, 2023, and a document with the superimposed signature of CP Ndu, I.M., the former CCR. Additionally, a desktop computer was confiscated.
Mayegun concluded by noting that the suspects would soon face charges in court for their involvement in the forgery syndicate.