Nigerian politicians conned into paying bribes to clear their names

Nigerian politicians seeking the easy way to secure a compulsory certificate of honesty required to stand for election have been duped by conmen posing as government officials. Bribes of thousands of US dollars were paid to fraudsters impersonating staff of Nigerian anti-graft agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which issues the certificates in preparation for elections due next year. The EFCC has stressed it would never issue certificates to politicians suspected of corruption, presumably including those prepared to bribe its officials.