See Photo; How We Cloned Voter Cards, Drivers’ Licence, Others – Suspects

Three suspected forgers have told police in Lagos how they used to clone documents including the national identity cards, voter cards and driving licences, among others. The suspects work with an Information Technology firm, Sharma Glory International Limited, at Ikorodu....

The suspects include 33-year-old graduate, Odupolu Odugbemiga, Favour Nnwaneke (38) and 25-year-old Toyeeb Lasisi. The suspects were caught in the act by the police inside the company with about 50 fake voter cards and several national ID cards.

Police also seized some gadgets, including printers and computers, which they allegedly used in producing the documents. It was that the suspects would scan an original voter card and replace the name and picture on it with their customer’s details.

One of the suspects, Odugbemiga, who studied Guidance and Counselling, told our correspondent that he decided to work with the firm pending when he would be gainfully employed. He said: “I admitted to the police that we produced fake voter cards but refuted the allegation of forging national ID cards.”

Odugbemiga claimed that they carried out the operations with the consent of their boss identified as Onalaja. He said: “I graduated from the university in 2013. I joined the company last year to get myself busy and I am paid N15,000 per month. I do pre-registration of national ID cards for people online. We collect N300 for the registration per person.

But because I also do temporary voter cards, I was arrested. “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) requests government-recognised ID cards before people can be captured.

We help those that do not have government-recognised ID cards to get permanent voter cards so that they can tender them and get captured.” On her own, Nwaneke said she only worked on some computer packages in the firm and was not involved in the forgery of the documents. She said: “I am a secondary school leaver. I joined the company sometime in December 2016.

I am not good at using the Internet and do not know how to produce fake national ID cards or voter cards. I only know some computer packages for which the company employed me.” But Lasisi said his boss engaged him in the forgery a few months into his employment.

He said: “I applied as a computer operator at Sharma Glory International Limited and was assigned to Works Department to do typing, graphic designs and printing. Early this year, my boss ordered me to do voter cards for some customers but I don’t know what else they use it for.

“After some reluctance, I have no choice than to do what my boss asked me to do and I scanned the original voter cards, changed names and photographs there and replaced them with the customers’ names and photographs.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said three other suspects involved in the same act were arrested in the Ejigbo area. Owoseni said, five laptops, 28 forged national ID cards, printing and laminating machines, among others, were recovered from them. He said: “They invite unsuspecting Nigerians on social media, telling them they work for National Identity Management Commission. They would be charged to court soon.”