The police command in Oyo State has arrested a 10-member syndicate operating a forgery hideout in the Ogunpa area of Ibadan.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s spokesman, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, following credible intelligence sharing and cooperation by members of the public.

According to Mr Olayinka, the individuals arrested specialised in forging official documents, stamps and certificates of various government and private organisations.

“In line with the sustained efforts of the Oyo State Police Command to ensure the safety of lives and property, as well as to uphold justice across the State, operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit have successfully apprehended a syndicate of individuals involved in impersonation,” the statement said.

“The Command wishes to place on record the critical role of timely intelligence sharing and cooperation by members of the public, which significantly contributed to the success of this operation.” 

“This breakthrough once again underscores the importance of sustained community partnership in crime prevention and intelligence-led policing,” it noted.

The command said coordinated police operation led to the arrest of ten suspects, identified as Mumini Akanbi (62), Quadri Muhammed (31), Salami Tajudeen (50), Oladipupo Hammed (45) Oladipupo Taiwo (40), Olorunosebi Kazeem (42) Fatai Akanni (54), Alamu Kazeem (60), Olalekan Afeez (42) and Alex Olanrewaju (64).

The police spokesman said the command recovered several incriminating items including “a printed fake Police Character Certificate, Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) stamps, Ogun State CID Eleweran Office stamp, Iyaganku Area Command Office stamp and various Divisional Police Officer office stamps.”

Other items recovered are “Oyo State Government stamps from different ministries and departments, stamps of different commercial banks, as well as stamps belonging to several private organisations.”

Mr Olayinka said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects belong to a well-organised syndicate involved in the production and use of forged instruments for the purpose of impersonation. 

He noted that all the suspects confessed to the criminal enterprise and are currently providing useful information assisting its ongoing investigations.

The command assured that all the suspects would be charged to court after investigations are concluded. 

The police spokesman admonished members of the public to always follow due process, as well as use appropriate and official channels only to obtain public documents and certificates.

“Members of the public are also strongly advised to always follow due process and make use of appropriate and official channels when obtaining public documents, certificates, and other sensitive instruments in order to avoid falling victim to fraudsters and impersonators,” the spokesman said.

Reaffirming its commitment to rid the state of all forms of criminality, the command urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to collaborate with security agencies to sustain peace and security in the state.