Operatives of Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) attached to the Diplomatic Section have arrested and arraigned one Abioye Abolaji over United States (US) visa racketeering.
He was said to have allegedly procured a fake United Nations (UN) invitation letters and documents for an applicant to secure traveling visa in Lagos.
The unit spokesperson, SP, Eyitayo Johnson, said Abolaji was arraigned on an eleven-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, Obtaining Money by False Pretense (OBT), false representation and stealing and was arrested following a petition from the Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) Regional Security office at the United States Consulate General (USCG).
Lagos requested discrete investigation into forged documents submitted by certain C-2 Visa applicants to the Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) unit of USCG. C-2 Visa is a NIV category reserved for participants at United Nations (UN) Conference/Events.
Investigation by USCG and PSFU into 77 C-2 applications from 24 organizations in Nigeria to attend 2 separate Conferences, namely, 67th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and UN 2023 Water Conference scheduled to take place in New York between 22nd and 24th March, 2023.
“It was however, revealed that most of the applicants are not qualified for the visa classification they applied for because the applicants provided forged UN invitation letters.
The applicants, who claimed to be employees of Osun & Sons Agricultural Venture, Ray D. Exclusive Electrical Contractor, or ACE Techno Resources Integrated Services; planned to attend UN Water Conference as a representative or nominee of these organizations, but investigation revealed that none of the organisation is in consultative status with the UN and that the employment of most of the applicants had no bearing to either of the referenced UN Conferences.”
