The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested members of a criminal gang that specialises in the printing, sales and distribution of fake dollars and new Naira notes in the country.
According to the Corps’ Director of Public Relations, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, the syndicates were cracked as a result of credible Intelligence from their field operations.
He said the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS), in a covet operation, swooped on two syndicates alleged to be involved in offences ranging from criminal conspiracy, cheating, obtaining by trick (OBT) and production/distribution of counterfeited US Dollars (USD) and new Naira notes into the society.
Odumosu said in a statement that four male adults were caught in possession of fake $64,800 and N475,000 notes, while fake notes of N1.5 million were also seized from the second group consisting of five male adults.
Further disclosing that the notorious syndicates have been operating for years before luck ran out on them, Commandant Odumosu said they had swindled and defrauded many individuals under the guise of black market operators exchanging Nigerian Naira to United States (US) Dollars.
He said that in the process, the syndicate members criminally issue fake dollar notes, thereby dubbing their unsuspecting victims.
The NSCDC listed names of the syndicate members arrested with the fake currencies as: Dantala Omale, ‘M’, 30yrs, Plateau State; Musa Abdullahi, ‘M’ 24yrs, Plateau State; Audu Abdulazeez, ‘M’, 56yrs, Gombe State; Umar Hassan ‘M’, 46yrs, Plateau State; and Mahammadu Badaru Yakubu ‘M’ 30yrs, Nasarawa State.
Commandant Odumosu said the Squad effected the arrest after one Dantala Omale was lured to Nasarawa State from Plateau and picked up on February 22, 2023, with fake new Naira notes totalling about N412,000 (Four Hundred and Twelve Thousand Naira) only.
The arrested suspect confessed getting the fake notes from Musa Abdullahi, popularly known as Baballe, which led to the arrest of Abdullahi at the Namu area of Qua’an Pan Local Government Area in Plateau State.
