The Police at Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, has arrested two suspected international fraudsters, identified as Elvis Osakpolo Edokpain, 23, and Kelly Osas Endgieen, 24, 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.