Nigerian Police Apprehend Five COVID Certificate Forgers At Lagos Airport

Nigerian Police at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos State, have paraded five COVID certificate forgery suspects.

They are Moses Samuel, Achibong Idonrenyin, Popoola Adewala, Abdulmalik Ibrahim and Wale Aderele while two others – Shehu Imam and Adeola Dalington – are at large.

According to the Police Commissioner, Airports Command, Bature Umar, the suspects sold fake COVID negative certificates to travellers within the international wing of the airport.

At a press briefing on Thursday, he said the suspects were exposed on February 19 when they defrauded a British Airways passenger, Michael Osagbogun, of N50, 000 for a COVID test.

The police commissioner said one of the suspects took the victim to a cyber café in Ikeja where a fake COVID negative certificate was issued but the passenger, who was on his way to Britain, was eventually denied boarding by the officials of the airline who spotted the fake certificate.

The passenger reported the case and a combined team of Criminal Investigation Department and Aviation Security arrested the suspects.

“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and the sum of N50, 000, which they obtained from the victim was recovered from them, while the computer used for the crime has been impounded and will be used as exhibit in the court of law,” the police boss said.

Umar further said that the suspects would be arraigned in court on Friday.