By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA—The Police has smashed a certificate forgery syndicate, which has in the past 10 years, duped manufacturing companies and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, of millions of naira with the application of fake and forged SONCAP certificates on goods produced in the country.

Three members of the syndicate, namely Tochukwu Onyekwere, Charles Nwaobi and Wasiu Bangbola, who were described as the kingpins, have been arrested and upon interrogation, confessed to the crime which some of them started since 1998.

Speaking on the development, Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge, Force Criminal Investigations Department, John Ahmadu, said the syndicate was smashed following receipt of a complaint by the Director General of SON, Dr. John Akanya, that he had been receiving threat messages through his GSM.

Dr. Akanya said: “The threat messages were connected with the discovery of forged SONCAP certificates that made it possible for the importation of substandard goods into the country and this led the Inspector General of Police to constitute a team of detectives to swing into action and over a period of months, mounted surveillance and closely monitored some clearing agents.