The Kwara State Director, Department of State Services, Mr. Abdullahi Shinkafi, on Friday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, paraded three men and a woman for the alleged forgery of certificates of academic institutions in the state.
He named the suspects as Adebimpe Ayodeji, Sikiru Rafiu and Aliyu Abdufatai (all males) and Muslimat Majeed (female).
The DSS boss said the prime suspect, who is said to be the husband of the female suspect, Abdulmajeed Olaide, was on the run.
Shinkafi said incriminating materials allegedly recovered from the suspects include a stamp of Kwara State High Court, Ilorin and hundreds of Kwara State indigeneship certificates of Oke-Ero, Ekiti, Ilorin South, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Edu, Isin, Ifeloun, Oyun, Offa and Irepodun local government areas.
Other incriminating items recovered from the suspects, according to Shinkafi, include scores of first school leaving certificates, several National Youth Service Corps/Exemption certificates, over 100 copies of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin certificates, hundreds of University of Calabar certificates and Lagos State University certificates.
He added that others are NECO and WAEC certificates, scores of passport photographs and stamps and seals of several institutions.
Our correspondent gathered that the ongoing screening of workers and pensioners in the state led to the arrest of the suspects.
Shinkafi said, “The arrest followed a tip-off that fake indigeneship certificates of LGAs in the state are being produced for interested persons by the suspected fraudsters.
“The stamp pads and the fake certificates/documents look very genuine that unsuspecting persons will find it difficult to substantiate. Further investigations revealed that many unscrupulous persons, particularly in the state, have patronised the fraudsters to get unmerited certificates to gain employment into government agencies/institutions.
“The service’s findings are not unconnected with the discovery of some employees being in possession of fake academic documents during the ongoing screening of workers and pensioners in some local government council secretariats by the Kwara State committee on personal database development.”
He added, “The service wishes to stress its commitment to fighting against certificate fraudsters and other undesirable elements in the society; accordingly, members of the public are enjoined to be vigilant and report to security agencies any suspected certificates/documents and cybercrime syndicates bent on defrauding innocent Nigerians and institutions.”
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