Miss Vivian is just 24 years old, but she is already one of the
thousands, if not millions of Nigerians who have been banned for
life from setting foot on the American soil.
As a trained Accountant, Vivian could have got a choice job in
Nigeria, but she claimed to have been convinced by her uncle,
identified simply as Ugochukwu, to attempt to travel to the US. The
idea was to travel to the US, get a million dollar job and money
would start rolling in; but the plan was not as easy as it
sounded.
When Vivian got to the US Embassy, the eagle-eyed white men
discovered that all her documents were fake. She had a fake United
Bank of Africa (UBA) identity card; she claimed to be a worker with
the bank, but ironically, she had never worked in any UBA branch in
her life. She also had a UBA bank statement, but that too was fake.
The passport she presented to the white men showed that she had a
travel history, which was supposed to make her attempt at getting
American Visa easier. The travel history stamps on her passport
showed that she had travelled out of Nigeria to many countries,
including Germany. When some questions about some of the countries
she claimed to have visited were put across to her, she failed
woefully. She was promptly arrested and handed over to detectives
attached to the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU).
Speaking with our correspondent, Vivian, a tall, pretty lady, had a
trapped look on her face.
She was accompanied by her elder sister, who looked worried and
desperate. Police told Vivian that she was looking at prison, if
she didn’t mention and assisted them to catch the person who
prepared the fake travelling documents for her.
Vivian knew she had to choose between saving herself and the
person who got the fake documents for her.
The lady, who graduated from Imo State University, said: “It is
my uncle that prepared everything for me. He collected N150,000 as
payment. I was living in the East when he asked me to come to Lagos
that he would assist me to travel overseas. I was staying in his
house until my arrest. When I called him that police wanted him to
come to SFU, he didn’t say anything. He later said I should go home
and pick the key by the window. He said that I should pick my
things that were in the house and leave.”
The lady promised to do everything within her power to assist
police to locate her uncle.
Speaking on the case, the SFU Public Relations Officer, Mr.
Lawal Audu, said: “She went to the American Embassy with fake UBA
identity card. She gave herself an identity she didn’t have. She
appeared at the American Embassy and tried to obtain visa by
deception. She said that her uncle, Ugochukwu, gave her the
passport with fake visas and stamps. The uncle collected N150,000
from her. He went with her to the embassy on the day of the
interview. When he discovered that she had been found out, he ran
away.
“She got herself banned for life. She was arrested at the
consulate office. Even when they asked her repeatedly if she had
been to Germany before, she kept saying yes. How far could she go
with such a false story? She was arrested and sent here. It was
when she was brought here that she opened up and confessed that it
was her uncle, who wanted to assist her travel to America that
packaged the fake visas for her. What kind of assistance was that,
especially since he collected N150,000 from her?”
The image maker said that for long, fake visa racket had been on
the increase. While urging Nigerians to tap the wealth inherent in
the country, Audu said that earlier, a young man, Ogunyemi Raheem
Oladipupo, was also arrested for being in possession of fake UK
visa.
“The young man’s passport had a fake Heathrow stamp, but he had
never travelled out of Nigeria. We always have many applicants with
fraudulent documents,” Audu said.
Audu described as saddening, a situation whereby foreigners are
rushing into Nigeria to make money, while Nigerian youths are
running away from the same country, taking their gifts and talents
to other countries.
He said: “The Americans, British, Canadians and Italians know
that Nigeria is a great country. They know that as far as Africa is
concerned, Nigeria is the greatest. They know of her potential and
resources.
“I asked a young man, who was arrested, what he wanted to go and
do in the US, he said he wanted to go and work. I asked him who
told him there was work in the US, he said his friend. I told him
that he could work here; he said no, that he preferred US. Many of
them could even set up a business with the money they give to visa
vendors. There is no work overseas. Nigerians should bury their
pride and do something here for themselves. The same work they
refuse to do here is what they travel overseas to do.
“If you want to apply for American visa, don’t go with fake
documents. I’m advising prospective visa applicants, do not
patronise visa vendors. Sometimes, the visa vendors will fill
information, which you do not know about. During interview, the
person might be asked a question on the information filled, and the
person wouldn’t be able to respond. The interview could be at the
point of entry, with questions based on what is filled in the visa
document. Some get deported at the point of entry.”
Miss Vivian is just 24 years old, but she is already one of the
thousands, if not millions of Nigerians who have been banned for
life from setting foot on the American soil.
As a trained Accountant, Vivian could have got a choice job in
Nigeria, but she claimed to have been convinced by her uncle,
identified simply as Ugochukwu, to attempt to travel to the US. The
idea was to travel to the US, get a million dollar job and money
would start rolling in; but the plan was not as easy as it
sounded.
When Vivian got to the US Embassy, the eagle-eyed white men
discovered that all her documents were fake. She had a fake United
Bank of Africa (UBA) identity card; she claimed to be a worker with
the bank, but ironically, she had never worked in any UBA branch in
her life. She also had a UBA bank statement, but that too was fake.
The passport she presented to the white men showed that she had a
travel history, which was supposed to make her attempt at getting
American Visa easier. The travel history stamps on her passport
showed that she had travelled out of Nigeria to many countries,
including Germany. When some questions about some of the countries
she claimed to have visited were put across to her, she failed
woefully. She was promptly arrested and handed over to detectives
attached to the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU).
Speaking with our correspondent, Vivian, a tall, pretty lady, had a
trapped look on her face.
She was accompanied by her elder sister, who looked worried and
desperate. Police told Vivian that she was looking at prison, if
she didn’t mention and assisted them to catch the person who
prepared the fake travelling documents for her.
Vivian knew she had to choose between saving herself and the
person who got the fake documents for her.
The lady, who graduated from Imo State University, said: “It is
my uncle that prepared everything for me. He collected N150,000 as
payment. I was living in the East when he asked me to come to Lagos
that he would assist me to travel overseas. I was staying in his
house until my arrest. When I called him that police wanted him to
come to SFU, he didn’t say anything. He later said I should go home
and pick the key by the window. He said that I should pick my
things that were in the house and leave.”
The lady promised to do everything within her power to assist
police to locate her uncle.
Speaking on the case, the SFU Public Relations Officer, Mr.
Lawal Audu, said: “She went to the American Embassy with fake UBA
identity card. She gave herself an identity she didn’t have. She
appeared at the American Embassy and tried to obtain visa by
deception. She said that her uncle, Ugochukwu, gave her the
passport with fake visas and stamps. The uncle collected N150,000
from her. He went with her to the embassy on the day of the
interview. When he discovered that she had been found out, he ran
away.
“She got herself banned for life. She was arrested at the
consulate office. Even when they asked her repeatedly if she had
been to Germany before, she kept saying yes. How far could she go
with such a false story? She was arrested and sent here. It was
when she was brought here that she opened up and confessed that it
was her uncle, who wanted to assist her travel to America that
packaged the fake visas for her. What kind of assistance was that,
especially since he collected N150,000 from her?”
The image maker said that for long, fake visa racket had been on
the increase. While urging Nigerians to tap the wealth inherent in
the country, Audu said that earlier, a young man, Ogunyemi Raheem
Oladipupo, was also arrested for being in possession of fake UK
visa.
“The young man’s passport had a fake Heathrow stamp, but he had
never travelled out of Nigeria. We always have many applicants with
fraudulent documents,” Audu said.
Audu described as saddening, a situation whereby foreigners are
rushing into Nigeria to make money, while Nigerian youths are
running away from the same country, taking their gifts and talents
to other countries.
He said: “The Americans, British, Canadians and Italians know
that Nigeria is a great country. They know that as far as Africa is
concerned, Nigeria is the greatest. They know of her potential and
resources.
“I asked a young man, who was arrested, what he wanted to go and
do in the US, he said he wanted to go and work. I asked him who
told him there was work in the US, he said his friend. I told him
that he could work here; he said no, that he preferred US. Many of
them could even set up a business with the money they give to visa
vendors. There is no work overseas. Nigerians should bury their
pride and do something here for themselves. The same work they
refuse to do here is what they travel overseas to do.
“If you want to apply for American visa, don’t go with fake
documents. I’m advising prospective visa applicants, do not
patronise visa vendors. Sometimes, the visa vendors will fill
information, which you do not know about. During interview, the
person might be asked a question on the information filled, and the
person wouldn’t be able to respond. The interview could be at the
point of entry, with questions based on what is filled in the visa
document. Some get deported at the point of entry.”
Read more https://nairalaw.com/fake-visas-u-s-bans-female-accountant-for-life/