Tuesday, December 17, 2024 -Two suspected international fraudsters, identified as Elvis Osakpolo Edokpain, 23, and Kelly Osas Endgieen, 24, have been apprehended by the police at Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, for allegedly forging certificates from various universities and engaging in online scams.
According to police sources, the suspects were arrested after the
Anti-Corruption Unit of Zone 2 received credible intelligence about a group
involved in forging foreign certificates. Acting on the directive of the
Assistant Inspector General of Police, Adegoke Fayoude, detectives trailed the
suspects to a five-star hotel in Lekki and apprehended them at a nearby bus
stop as they attempted to escape.
A search of their belongings revealed a forged certificate from Blue
Crest College, Ghana, a student ID from Academic City College, and other fake
academic documents, including a transcript and letters of recommendation.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted to procuring the documents through
a Nigerian woman residing in Ghana.
“We paid 15,000 Ghana cedis (approximately N1.5 million) for the
certificate and 5,000 Ghana cedis (about 500,000 Naira) for the resident
permit,” the suspects confessed. They explained that the documents were
intended to help them evade arrest in Ghana, as they had no legitimate means of
livelihood in the country.
The suspects further revealed their involvement in online scams,
particularly romance scams and fraudulent financial transactions facilitated
through social media platforms like Instagram.
“We impersonate an American soldier named Captain Donald Rowe, who we
claim is on a peacekeeping mission in Syria. We tell our victims there are
goods in Syria they can purchase. Once they pay, we use blockchain wallets or
foreign bank accounts to receive the money, which eventually gets credited to
our Nigerian accounts,” the suspects explained.
Their fraudulent activities reportedly targeted victims in countries
such as Japan, Denmark, and China, with accomplices in the UK, South Africa,
and other nations.
In a dramatic twist during their detention, the suspects attempted to
bribe the police with N66 million to secure their release. Detectives, under
instructions from AIG Fayoude, played along and recovered the money as
evidence.
The authorities have reached out to the Ghanaian embassy for further
investigation and are collaborating with Interpol to apprehend the suspects’
foreign accomplices.
Speaking about their predicament, the suspects expressed regret, blaming
poverty and desperation for driving them into a life of crime. They urged
Nigerian youths to avoid shortcuts to success and to work hard to achieve their
goals. Investigations are ongoing, and police have vowed to dismantle the
network of accomplices involved in these fraudulent activities.
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