By: Adeosun Ewatomi
Two suspected international fraudsters that specialize in forging certificates of different international and African Universities have been arrested by the police at Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos. The suspects, Elvis Osakpolo Edokpain, 23, and Kelly Osas Endgieen, 24, also specialize in defrauding their unsuspecting victims on the internet and have succeeded in acquiring exotic cars and erecting mansions in different parts of the country with the proceeds of their loot.
Police sources at Zone 2 said table turned for the suspects after detectives at the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Zone received credible information from outside Nigerians concerning some group of boys that specializes in forging foreign certificates. It was learned that on getting the information, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Zone, Adegoke Fayoude detailed anti-corruption unit to investigate it. He reportedly gave matching orders that they must be rounded up without delay.
Based on his stern directives, according to police sources, detectives stormed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and as soon as the suspects arrived, they trailed them to a five star hotel at Osapa-London in Lekki and later accosted them at the bus stop while they were about escaping secretly from the hotel.
It was gathered that on searching their luggage, one certificate of Blue Crest College, Ghana, belonging to Elvis Osakpolo Edokpiain, was recovered and a student identity card of Academic City College was also recovered from Kenny Osas. Further search revealed a transcript of an academic record from Blue Crest University belonging to Elvis Osapolo. Going through the search again, detectives discovered a letter of English proficiency from the said college and a letter of recommendation from the same Blue Crest College.
Reports said that upon interrogation, the suspects made useful statements to the police and confessed that they never got any admission into the school, that they procured the degree certificate through the help of a female Nigerian resident in Ghana. The suspects further stated that the major aim of doing that is to enable them get Ghana resident permit, which they got and the resident permit is showing them also as a student of Academic City University and that none of them has ever been admitted in the school.
Police sources further disclosed that the suspects confessed that they were made to pay 15,000 Ghana cedis for the certificate and 5,000 Ghana cedis which is equivalent to N1.5 million and 5,000 Ghana cedis for the resident permit which is equivalent to 500,000 dollars. They reportedly paid a total of 26,000 Ghana cedis to procure the documents. On further interrogation, they said that they are doing it to evade arrest in Ghana since they don't have any means of livelihood.
According to the suspects in their confessional statements, whenever police intercept us, we will show the passport that we are students because we don't have any means of livelihood in Ghana. On further interrogation, they confessed that they do fraudulent activities, such as online romance scam and the provision of foreign bank accounts for fraudulent transactions on internet through what they call ‘ Facebook bombing’. The suspects said; “we meet people online and present ourselves as an American soldier by name Captain Donald Rowe, whom we are impersonating on Instagram. He is a captain of the United States of America and currently on peacekeeping mission in Syria. While we are engaging our victims, we will tell them that there are goods in Syria that if they are interested to buy, they should pay money and we will send the goods to you. We will show them pictures of good materials in Syria.
The suspects also said,” After they make the payment, we use our block chain wallets to collect the money or foreign bank accounts which at last are being credited in our Nigerian accounts. We have our partners in UK, South Africa, and other countries and most of our victims are from Japan, Denmark, China, and other countries.”
While detectives were making frantic efforts to get more credible information from the arrested suspects, a mild drama ensured when the two suspects started negotiating to bribe the police for them to be set free. Police sources said at that stage, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Adegoke Fayoude, who recently exposed another suspected fraudsters for offering his men a whopping sum of N174m as bribe was contacted and he directed his men to play along and recover the money as an exhibit. Subsequently, the detectives played along and the suspects paid them a sum of N66m, which they collected and kept as an exhibit.
Police sources said that already, police authorities have written to Ghana embassy to get more information about the result and their suspected partners in Ghana said to be spearheading the fraud while they have also spread their dragnets through the International Police, Interpol, to round up their foreign accomplices.
The suspects who claimed they were only able to attend secondary schools in Benin City lamented the fate that befell them stating that it was poverty and the need to make ends meet that drove them into fraud They advised youths in the country to work hard in order to achieve success and stop looking for the easy way out.
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