NPC, BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP TO COMBAT FAKE BIRTH CERTIFICATES AND IMMIGRATION CRIMES

In a move to tighten the fight against organized immigration crime and enhance the integrity of civil registration systems in Nigeria, the Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, today, 7th October 2025, received a delegation from the Home Office International Operations (HOIO) of the British High Commission in Nigeria at the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja.

The delegation, led by Mr. Coran Oakley, International Liaison Manager for Organised Immigration Crime, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting the NPC’s capacity to verify birth certificates referred by the British High Commission. As part of the visit, the HOIO donated six HP Scanjet scanners, four UPS devices, and Rarewox Xcan OCR system customization software to the Commission.

Mr. Oakley noted that the partnership aims to deepen existing cooperation with Nigerian institutions in curbing document fraud and immigration-related crimes.

“We see people attempting to obtain UK visas with documents that are not 100% legitimate,” Oakley said. “Working closely with the National Population Commission, we are identifying fraudulent birth certificates, some acquired through illicit means or entirely counterfeit and collaborating with Nigerian law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those behind these schemes.”

Highlighting recent progress, Mr. Oakley revealed that through collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the UK’s Home Office has helped facilitate 10 arrests and two successful prosecutions linked to organized immigration crime within the past two years.

He explained that intelligence provided by the NPC has been critical to these investigations, adding that false birth certificate data gathered by the Commission is being used not just for administrative purposes, but as evidence in wider criminal cases.

“We are not just filing this information away,” he emphasized. “We are building bigger investigations to take down those exploiting innocent Nigerians who unknowingly pay scammers for what they believe are legitimate documents.”

In his remarks, NPC Chairman Hon. Nasir Kwarra expressed deep appreciation to the British High Commission for the donation, noting that the technological support will significantly enhance the Commission’s capacity for digitized Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS).

By enabling the conversion of paper-based records into secure, easily retrievable digital formats, this support directly improves data management and service delivery,” Hon. Kwarra said. “It also reflects our shared vision for innovation, accountability, and inclusive development.”

He assured the visiting team that the NPC remains committed to working closely with the British High Commission and relevant agencies to identify and prosecute those involved in the production and circulation of fake certificates.

Key NPC officials present at the meeting included; Federal Commissioner, Edo State, Dr. Tony Aiyejina; Federal Commissioner, Kaduna State, Hajia Sa’adatu Garba DogonBauchi; Director-General, Dr. Osifo Tellson Ojogun; Director, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Department, Mrs. Saidu Dauda Sulami and technical staff members.

The meeting underscored a growing UK–Nigeria collaboration focused not only on curbing immigration fraud but also on strengthening institutional transparency, data integrity, and digital transformation in public administration.