Police Expose 2 ‘Fraudsters’ Trying To Bribe Them N66m

Two alleged international fraudsters who tried to induce investigation police officers with a N66million bribe have been detained.

The two suspects, allegedly deep in forging certificates in Lagos and Ghana, also impersonated a U.S. Army officer, Captain Donald Rowe, on Instagram, after one of them claimed to be a police officer stationed in Syria.

AIG Adegoke Fayoade, who heads the Zone-2 Command of the Nigeria Police, confirmed the arrest on Monday.

“They impersonated a U.S. Army officer, Captain Donald Rowe, on Instagram, defrauding victims by claiming to be a soldier stationed in Syria,” Fayoade revealed, adding that the suspects attempted to negotiate their freedom by offering a bribe of N66 million when the police intensified investigation,.

“I instructed my men to play along and secure the bribe money as evidence. The amount has been duly recorded as an exhibit,” Fayoade said.

“This case highlights our commitment to integrity and justice. We are determined to dismantle the network of fraudsters operating across borders,” Fayoade concluded.

And now, the Zone-2 Command has reached out to the Ghanaian Embassy and Interpol to track down the suspects’ accomplices and confirm the authenticity of the recovered documents.

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AIG Fayoade who identified the suspected fraudsters as Elvis, 23, and Kelly, 24, added that the case was not an isolated one.

“The information revealed a group specialising in forging foreign certificates. Acting swiftly, we deployed detectives who tracked the suspects to a five-star hotel in Lekki, where they were apprehended while attempting to flee,” Fayoade narrated.

A certificate from Blue Crest College, Ghana, linked to Elvis; a student identity card from Academic City College, Ghana, belonging to Kelly; additional documents, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, all forged to secure Ghanaian resident permits under false pretenses, were found with the suspects, he said,

Stating that they confessed to paying 26,000 Ghana Cedis to a female Nigerian accomplice in Ghana to procure the fake documents, he added:

“They admitted the documents were solely for evading arrest in Ghana, where they had no legitimate means of livelihood,” Fayoade stated.

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Beyond certificate forgery, the suspected fraudsters were allegedly involved in elaborate online fraud schemes, including romance scams and providing foreign bank accounts for fraudulent transactions through a method known as “Facebook bombing.”

“They impersonated a U.S. Army officer, Captain Donald Rowe, on Instagram, defrauding victims by claiming to be a soldier stationed in Syria,” Fayoade revealed.