5 ARRESTED OVER FAKE VISA RACKETING

Five persons are being detained at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) in
Ikoyi, Lagos for allegedly being in possession of fake American and
British visas.
Raji Oluseyi Michael, Adegoke Johnson, Popoola...
Oladimeji, St. John Ojo
Osaghae and Smart Imafidon were said to be members of a syndicate
involved in the circulation of forged documents to unsuspecting
members of the public seeking to procure genuine visa from embassies.
Raji, Adegoke and Popoola were arrested based on a petition from the
Regional Security Office of the United States Consulate in Lagos
alleging that Raji had in his Nigerian passport No. No. A04910344, a
fake UK visa.
John Ojo Osaghae and Smart Imafidon were arrested for applying for UK
visa with forged income tax clearance certificates from the Edo State
Board of Internal Revenue Service. SFU Public Relations Officer, Ngozi
Isintume-Agu, said John Ojo Osaghae with Nigerian passport No. A0
3916493 applied for a six months visit visa to UK early in November.
She said based on the strength of the petitions, SFU detectives
arrested the five suspects. Raji, a 32 year old who hails from Ibadan,
Oyo State and holds a HND in Purchasing & Supply from the Kwara State
Polytechnic told Daily Trust that the visa was given to him by one
Popoola who also resides in Ibadan for N500,000.
He claimed to have paid only N200,000 to balance N300,000.00 at the
end of his interview with the US embassy, adding that Popoola sent
Adegoke to accompany him to the embassy to find out if the visa was
issued from where they were arrested.
"It was one Mr. Ayodeji who currently resides in UK that introduced
Popoola to me", Popoola said. The SFU spokesperson said
investigation revealed that Popoola Oladimeji, a forged document
vendor, has his network stretching as far as Olowole market area of
Lagos.
"He further confessed that he contracted one Taiwo Akande in Oluwole
who procured the six months UK visa and Holland visa for N115,000
respectively.