Court sentences man to jail for faking U.S. visa

An Igbosere Magistrate Court in Lagos State has sentenced a 55-year-old man, Bello Nosiru Yinka, to one-year imprisonment for procuring fake visa of all high commissions. The convict was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Abosede Botoku in Court 2, Igbosere.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Audu Lawal, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), in a statement yesterday said the convict, a notorious documents vendor who specializes in faking visas of all Embassies and High Commission was arrested by operatives of the PSFU when the American Consulate General complained about the fraudulent activities of the convict.

He said the convict had procured fake French visa for one applicant (name withheld) who appeared at the Consulate General for B1 B2 visa category. According to him, the activities of visa vendors have affected genuine visa applicants who don’t know about how visas of all categories are applied for and obtained.

He added that the arrest of the convict, investigation and successful prosecution was a major breakthrough as the convict have been in the business of printing fake visas and other documents for decades.

“Prospective visa applicants should be wary of fraudsters parading themselves as visa agent. No Embassy or High Commission appoints any person or group of persons to act as visa agent,” Lawal warned.