Airport Command of Nigeria Police Force has smashed a syndicate that specialises at issuing fake foreign visas to unsuspecting Nigerian passengers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
This was made known yesterday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, Mr Joseph Alabi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) while speaking with newsmen at the Lagos airport.
Alabi said, “the five suspects: Lookman Ayodele Kareem, Temitope Yusuf, Tititlayo Afose (f) 31, Akintunde Ebenezer (M) 41 and Olabanji Daisi (M) 41 were arrested at different locations in Lagos following receipt of the complaints in the command”.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspects had used Afose, Akintude and Daisi to canvass five unsuspecting intending passengers residing in Ile Oluji, Ondo State with the claim that they would assist them to procure Canadian Visas at a total sum of Six Million Seven hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Naira only (N6,785,000.00) .
After paying the amount to the bank accounts of the suspects the suspects were handed their international passports with fake visas printed in..
The unsuspecting passengers did not get to know that their visas were fake until when they got to an airline’s screeing counter where they were told that their Visas were fake.
The case was immediately reported to the airport command and the Commissioner, Mr. Basen Gwana immediately directed the Airport Security Team to go after the suspects and ensure their arrests within two weeks.
According to Alabi, “three of the suspects were arrested on the very day the Commissioner ordered the arrests, while the two principal suspects, Lookman Ayodele and Temitope were later arrested in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
He said the police recovered a sum of One Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand Naira only (N169,000.00) and a Gulf salon car from the suspects.
Alabi said that the suspects have been charged to court on Friday.
