The Federal Government has nabbed five persons intending to use fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to travel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
The five individuals were apprehended while trying to pass through the clearance process at the airport. They were, however, discovered following prompts by the Port Health Services (PHS), which further notified the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) of the development of the situation.
According to a source at the agency, a preliminary investigation on the matter revealed that one traveller, Lawrence Aire Esechie, presented the fake covid-19 vaccination card. Upon inquiry, he stated that he had gotten the card from his travel agent Akeem Adeniji.
Upon interrogating Adeniji, he revealed that he paid N15,000 to one Loveth Mba Johnson that operates a business center/travel agent at a park opposite NICON Insurance Plaza, Central Area in Abuja.
In a related development, The Nation source disclosed that the next day, August 4, 2022, at about 10:30 hours, four other passengers still at the NAIA were apprehended for presenting fake Covid-19 vaccination cards. They included: Chinemelum Gabriel Ihejirika, Evans Chukwuyem Onyibe, Stanley Chidubem Stephen, and Arinzechukwu Stanley Ohiri.
All the suspects have been profiled and documented by the Department of State Services (DSS) unit at the FCT State command of the state security service for further action.
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, continues to urge Nigerians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which is the best way to avoid severe infection and the risk of spreading to others.
As of August 4, 2022, a vaccination update from the agency showed that 27,528,710 of the total eligible persons targeted for COVID-19 vaccination are fully vaccinated while 11,768,202 are partially vaccinated.