Syndicate forges Cardinal Onaiyekan’s signature to obtain pilgrims’ visas

The police in Lagos have apprehended five members of a syndicate which allegedly specialised in the forgery of documents for visas.

The arrested suspects were identified as Ikenna Aningwu, 28; Ebere Okere, 36; Toyin Dada, 36; Naboth Iyke, 35; and Yomi Alalade, 39.

The suspects and others at large allegedly forged documents bearing the signature of Cardinal John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Archdiocese, St. James Catholic Church, Abuja.

The cardinal was a former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

PUNCH Metro learnt that they presented the documents to the Consulate General of the Italian Embassy on Victoria Island in order to secure six visas for intending Christian pilgrims to Rome.

A police source disclosed to our correspondent that the embassy was suspicious of the documents and contacted the cardinal to verify the signature, which turned out to have been forged.

The source said,

“Sometime in November 2017, Aningwu and five other suspects at large conspired with Okere, Dada, Iyke and Alalade to forge documents for visas. Aningwu and the five others wanted to go for pilgrimage in Rome.
“In a desperate attempt to get the approval of the Italian Embassy on Victoria Island, Lagos, Iyke and others, who are at large, forged the signature of the cardinal in the documents and presented same to the embassy.
“In the course of verification, the embassy contacted the cardinal, who said he had never had any encounter with any of the suspects before and denied the signature as his.”

It was learnt from another source that a petition was addressed to the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, in respect of the alleged fraud.

“The embassy pretentiously called the suspects that the visas were ready and they should come to pick them up. Aningwu was arrested when he went to pick one of the visas. Other members fled having got wind of his arrest. He led operatives to locations where four of the accomplices were arrested,” the source added.

The suspects were on Thursday arraigned in Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on three counts bordering on forgery and fraud.

The defendants, who were brought before Chief Magistrate A.F.O. Botoku, pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial.

The magistrate granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till January 17, 2018.