The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Lagos State Office, has secured the conviction of Ijamulisi Ayodele James for his role in the falsification of documents used in fraudulent visa applications to the United Kingdom.
The conviction followed credible intelligence from the British High Commission, which alleged that the defendant was responsible for producing forged documents, including invitation and introduction letters purportedly from Clarivate Analytics and Thomson Reuters, as well as a counterfeit bank statement and payslip.
The ICPC’s prosecution team, led by Yvonne William-Mbat, had, in the course of the trial, disclosed that the Commission’s Investigations confirmed that the fraudulent documents were prepared at the request of Dennis Adetoye Adeniran and Awoke Nimota Omobolaji, both of whom had earlier been prosecuted and convicted in related cases in 2019 and 2025, respectively.
On 7th August, 2025, the defendant was arraigned before Hon. Justice R.A. Oshodi at the Ikeja Special Offences Court on a four-count amended charge of forgery under Section 467 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He pleaded guilty to all counts under a plea bargain agreement approved by the Commission.
Following his plea, the Court convicted the defendant and sentenced him to a fine of ₦1 million or seven days’ imprisonment on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The defendant is required to pay an aggregate fine of ₦4 million into a designated account or serve a custodial term of seven days at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Facility.
The Court further ordered the biometric registration of the convict in the Lagos State Judiciary Offenders’ Database and mandated the filing of an affidavit of good behaviour at the High Court Registry.
In addition, the Commission reserves the right to reopen investigations should he violate the terms of his undertaking, or where new facts, undeclared assets, or offences relating to corruption subsequently emerge.
This conviction reinforces the Commission’s resolve to tackle document fraud, protect the integrity of international travel systems, and uphold the rule of law in Nigeria.
