Police arrest 62-year-old, 9 others for forging govt, bank documents in Oyo

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested ten suspected impersonators in Ibadan, the state capital, for allegedly forging official documents and stamps.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the suspects were operating from a hideout in the Ogunpa area of Ibadan. They specialised in producing fake documents, stamps, and certificates belonging to government agencies, private organisations, and banks.

Following intelligence reports, police operatives carried out a coordinated raid and arrested the following individuals: Mumini Akanbi (62), Quadri Muhammed (31), Salami Tajudeen (50), Oladipupo Hammed (45), Oladipupo Taiwo (40), Olorunosebi Kazzeem (42), Fatai Akanni (54), Alamu Kazeem (60), Olalekan Afeez (42), and Alex Olanrewaju (64).

Search warrants were later executed at their bases, leading to the recovery of several incriminating items. These included a fake police character certificate, various stamps from the Nigeria Police Force CID, Ogun State CID Eleweran Office, Iyaganku Area Command, multiple divisional police offices, Oyo State Government ministries, commercial banks, and private organisations.

The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects belonged to a well-organised syndicate engaged in forging documents and impersonation. All ten suspects have reportedly confessed to the crime and are assisting with further inquiries.

The Commissioner of Police commended the public for providing timely information and praised the Inspector-General of Police’s People-First Policing Strategy, which he said has strengthened intelligence-led policing and community partnerships.

The command assured that the suspects would be charged to court after investigations and urged residents to always use official channels when obtaining documents to avoid falling victim to fraudsters. It reaffirmed its commitment to tackling crime and ensuring public safety across the state.