1st December, 2011
A man who specialises in forging documents belonging to the Lagos State government has been arrested by the police in Lagos.
The suspect, Kolawole Felix Olaniyan, 32 who had been on the run since 2007, was arrested on Monday, 28 November, 2011, at Costain Bus Stop, Western Avenue, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria by policemen from Pedro Station, Somolu, Lagos.
P.M.NEWS gathered that Olaniyan, notorious for producing fake vehicle plate numbers, driver’s licence, road worthiness documents and vehicle insurance was caught in his vehicle, a Chrysler Space van with registration number BD 553 RSH.
The police discovered that his vehicle registration number, driver’s licence and other vehicle particulars were all forged.
Police disclosed that when the vehicle was searched, forged road worthiness documents and others were recovered.
In his confession to the police, the suspect allegedly admitted being a forger.
“I am from Oke Oja, Ilorin, Kwara State and I was selling building materials while at the same time assisting people to procure vehicle particulars like driver’s licence, road worthiness documents and vehicle insurance.
“At a time, I began to mix genuine documents with the fake particulars before I decided to concentrate more on the issuance of fake documents,†he wrote in his statement to the police. A police source told P.M.NEWS that many of his patrons believed that he was an official of the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Office, VIO.
“I decided to go underground when some of those I gave fake documents reported me to the police. I managed to escape and since then I have been on the run,†he confessed.
— Ayodeji Dedeigbo