The following is a compilation of selected news reports on false documentation taken from the Nigerian newspaper Post Express Wired since 1998.

A team of fake police and army officers were arrested in Benue State for using forged military and police identity cards and other documents to extort money from fuel dealers under the pretext of being members of a "petroleum monitoring committee" (19 Feb. 1999).

In August 1999 the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos noted that a large number of fraudulent documents had been observed in the context of visa applications, including passports and bank statements (29 Aug. 1999).

On 11 November 1999 it was reported that four naval trainees had been arrested following the discovery that they had false certificates. The precise nature of the certificates was not stated.

The executive chairman of the Primary Education Board for Rivers State said in May 2000 that about 40 per cent of teachers in the state had false certificates (12 May, 22 May 2000).

In July 2000 a gang specializing in the illicit assignment of people to positions under the National Youth Service Corps was raided by police in Abuja. The raid uncovered:

original and fake call-up letter-headed papers of some local and state governments, fake identity cards of Student Affairs Officer of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), [and a] forged master list of a university including computer sheets. Other items were fake statements of results from various universities in the country, introduction letters purportedly written by some important personalities and rubber stamps among others (Post Express Wired 19 July 2000).

The chairman of the federal Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, Senator Jim Nwobodo, stated in September 2000 that the implementation of the project for a new national identity card would stop the "incessant forgery" of Nigerian passports by foreigners (13 Sept. 2000).

The following is based on information provided by the Canadian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission in Abuja:

Passports

It is relatively easy to obtain a false Nigerian passport or a genuine improperly issued Nigerian passport. Intelligence indicates that a genuine but improperly issued new-style Nigerian passport may be obtained for 10,000 Naira (approximately 100 USD). In addition, a recent trend is for persons to substitute the photo in an old Nigerian passport and then present that altered passport when applying for a new one. They then have a new-style passport in a name of their choosing.

The new-style Nigerian passport is a much more difficult document to tamper with than the previous version. This however does not mean that it cannot be tampered with. New-style Nigerian passports with photo substitution are encountered on a regular basis. There have also been cases where the binding or stitching of the passport has been removed with pages containing visas being placed in another passport.

Birth Certificates

Birth certificates are issued either as an extract of the local government Registry of Births, or if no documentation exists to prove the birth, by application to the traditional ruler in the area where the applicant was born. The applicant is required to appear in person before the traditional ruler, who then certifies that the applicant is one of his/her subjects. This certification allows the person to apply to the Local Government Authority for a "Certificate of Origin." It is this method which is open to abuse. Travel in Nigeria is dangerous and expensive and many people who have relocated to an urban [area] have few if any ties with their traditional family ruler. A family member will go to the traditional ruler, explain the situation and ask for his/her understanding in the issuance of the certificate in the absence of the applicant. If the traditional ruler agrees to the issuance of the certificate without the person physically being present due to travel, etc., they have set a precedent. Persons wishing to obtain birth certificates in names other than their own will have someone approach the traditional ruler with a request to issue a certificate without the person being present. Having previously done so it is very difficult for the traditional ruler to refuse the request and the person is able to acquire an improperly issued genuine document.

Nigeria is attempting to establish a central data office, and to create a national identity card, but if this should happen it will not be in the foreseeable future.

Trends in use of false documents

All indications are that the use of false travel documents, birth certificates and other documents is increasing. Increasingly applications for visitor visas are accompanied by bank statements that are counterfeit or altered, passports that have been tampered with and other documents that are either totally counterfeit or that have been altered.

Attempts are being made by the Nigerian government and foreign missions to reduce the availability and use of false documents but they have enjoyed little or no success to date. This problem will not be rectified in the near future and, as previously mentioned, it would appear that there is an increase in the use of false documentation.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Canadian High Commission, Accra, Ghana. 6 February 2001. Correspondence.

Post Express Wired. 13 September 2000. Daniel Kanu. "Lagos Seeks Establishment of More Prisons." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 19 July 2000. Godwin Tsa. "NYSC Smashes Syndicate on Illegal Posting." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 22 May 2000. Boniface Okoro. "Rivers to Sack Teachers with Fake Certificates." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 12 May 2000. Iheanyi Amuta. "40 Per Cent Teachers Possess Fake Certificates in Rivers, Says Board Chairman." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 11 November 1999. "Four Toronto Trainees in Police Net." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 29 August 1999. Chris Onuorah. "Forgery, Other Scams Deny Nigerians Visas." http://www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]

_____. 19 February 1999. Ignatius Chukwu. "Fake Police, Army Officers Nabbed." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 30 Oct. 2000]