United States Charges 18 Nigerian Nurses Over Certificate Forgery

The Texas Board of Nursing has officially charged 18 Nigerian nurses practicing in the United States with obtaining educational credentials fraudulently.

In a statement on its website, the board named 23 nurses accused of certificate forgery, 18 of whom are of Nigerian descent.

The investigations, dubbed Operation Nightingale, were characterized as a multi-state coordinated law enforcement operation involving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General that got underway on Jan. 25 to apprehend those associated with a scheme to sell fake and fraudulent nursing degrees diplomas and transcripts in the United States.

The Texas Board of Nursing continued by saying that the people who acquired the fake credentials did so to be eligible to take the national nursing board exam. Nursing candidates who passed the board exam were then qualified to apply for licensure in different states to practice as an RN, LPN, or VN.

"The Board has filed formal charges against the following nurses for fraudulently obtaining educational credentials."

"The Board is authorized to file formal charges against a nurse if probable cause exists that the nurse has committed an act listed in Tex. Occ. Code §301.452(b) or that violates other laws. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.458. Further, formal charges are publicly available. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.466(b)," the statement read.

The board ruled that formal charges were not a final disciplinary measure and that the nurses were allowed to continue working while the charges were being investigated. "Please note that Formal Charges are not a final disciplinary action, and a nurse is permitted to work, as a nurse, while Formal Charges are pending."

The Nigerians involved in the conspiracy are; Abiodun, Yetunde Felicia; Adelakun, Abiodun Aveez; Adelekan, Joseph Adewale; Adeoye, Vivien Temitope; Adewale, Modinat Abidemi; Afolabi, Olufemi Toun; Afolabi, Omowunmi F; Agbo, Odumegwu Steve; Ajibade, Charlot Omotayo; Akande, Olabisi Christiana; Akhigbe, Catherine; Akinrolabu, Folasade Margaret; Ako, Esiri Rachael; Akpan, Rosemary Moses; Alimi, Bukola A; Ani, Ndirika Justina; Aroh, Nchekwube C.; and Ayodeji, Sherifat Olubunmi.