10 In Police Net Over Alleged Impersonation

Oyo State Police Command has arrested 10 people who specialise in the forgery of official documents, stamps and certificates issued by various government and private organisations, operating from a hideout in the Ogunpa area of Ibadan.

The command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, who confirmed their arrest in Ibadan yesterday, said in line with the sustained efforts of the command to ensure the safety of life and property, as well as to uphold justice across the state, operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit apprehended a syndicate of individuals involved in impersonation.

He placed on record that the critical role of timely intelligence sharing and cooperation by members of the public contributed to the success of the operation that led to their arrest.

According to him, this breakthrough once again underscores the importance of sustained community partnership in crime prevention and intelligence-led policing.

The command, therefore, encouraged members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies.

“On the 9th of April, actionable intelligence was received indicating that a group of individuals specialising in the forgery of official documents, stamps, and certificates of various government and private organisations was operating from a hideout within the Ogunpa area of Ibadan”, he said.

He said acting swiftly on the intelligence, operatives conducted a coordinated operation which led to the arrest of the following suspects: Mumini Akanbi, male, 62 years, Quadri Muhammed, male, 31 years, Salami Tajudeen, male, 50 years, Oladipupo Hammed, male, 45 years and Oladipupo Taiwo, male, 40 years.

Others were Olorun Sebi Kazem, male, 42 years, Fatai Akanni, male, 54 years, Alamu Kazeem, male, 60 years, Olalekan Afeez, male, 42 years and Alex Olanrewaju, male, 64 years

He subsequently said that search warrants were duly executed at the suspects’ operational bases, leading to the recovery of several incriminating exhibits, including a printed fake Police Character Certificate, Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) stamps, and an Ogun State CID Eleweran Office stamp.

Others were Iyaganku Area Command Office stamps, various Divisional Police Officer office stamps, Oyo State government stamps from different ministries and departments, stamps of different commercial banks, as well as stamps belonging to several private organisations.

Olayinka added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were members of a well-organised syndicate engaged in the production and use of forged instruments for the purpose of impersonation

“All suspects have confessed to their involvement in the criminal enterprise and are currently providing useful information to aid ongoing investigations,’’ he said.