NSCDC Busts Notorious Criminal Syndicates and Recovers Fake Currencies
By People’s Voice Nigeria | News
The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) has, in a clandestine operation, arrested two syndicates alleged to be involved in offenses ranging from criminal conspiracy and cheating to obtaining by trick (OBT) and the production and distribution of counterfeit US Dollars (USD) and new Naira notes in the society.
A statement signed by the Director of Public Relations, CC Olusola Odumosu, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) noted that one of the groups arrested, which consisted of four male adults, was caught in possession of fake Sixty-four thousand, Eight hundred US dollars ($64,800) and four hundred and seventy-five thousand naira (N475,000) notes, while a fake N1.5 million note was also seized from the second group consisting of five male adults.
The names of members of the syndicate arrested with the sum of N1.5m are: 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;
The arrest was effected when one Dantala Omale was lured to Nasarawa from Plateau State and picked up by the squad on the 22nd of February, 2023, with fake new naira notes of N412,000.
The arrested suspect confessed to getting the fake notes from Musa Abdullahi, AKA Baballe, which led to the arrest of Abdullahi on February 22, 2023, in the Namu area of Quanpan LGA in Plateau State in possession of N49,650 in old naira notes.
After a thorough interrogation, Abdullahi confessed that he usually gets his supply of fake currencies from one Audu Abdulazeez, AKA Dan-Gombe, who the squad arrested on the 3rd of March 2023, at the Plateau Express service motor park in Jos, Plateau State, at about 11:20 a.m. with N350,000 in fake, newly redesigned Naira notes.
The effort of the squad to arrest all members of the syndicate paid off when Abdulazeez confessed to giving one Umar Hassan the fake notes. When Hassan was apprehended, he was in possession of N20,500, and he also confessed to his involvement in the crime and that he regularly transacted with one Mohammadu Badaru Yakubu, who was also arrested close to the old CBN office in Lafia Town at about 3:10 p.m. on March 5, 2023, with fake N2000 of the new Naira notes
Further investigation, however, revealed that the group operated within and around Plateau, Nasarawa, Bauchi, and Gombe states.
Members of the second syndicate arrested with the exhibits of $64,800 and N475,000 are Jonathan Dakogol, Abbas Ibrahim, Isa Ukashatu, and Aminu Isa.
Isa Ukashatu and Jonathan Dakogol were arrested with fake $64,800 and N475,000 at Akurba in Lafia LGA, in Nasarawa State, after being lured to deliver the money to a client.
Upon arrest, Dakogol volunteered and led the CG’S SIS operatives to the Kurgwi area in Quaan’Pan LGA, Plateau State, where one Aminu Isa, who was alleged to be a herbalist, was also arrested.
Isa also led the squad to the arrest of one 62-year-old man, Abbas Ibrahim, in Quaan’Pan LGA, Plateau State, who had collected $30,000 in fake US dollars from him.
All suspects at the point of arrest were found in possession of fake dollars and the newly redesigned Naira notes ranging from N500 to N1000 denominations, respectively, and had also confessed to being involved in the business for over five years.
The Commandant General, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, commended the CG’s SIS for a job well done and described the criminal gangs as economic saboteurs destroying the country through the perpetration of financial crimes and the defrauding of innocent citizens.
He stated that their arrest is a good omen for the country because it helped to stop the distribution and influx of fake currencies into society, which could have caused great setbacks to the economy.
He charged the squad leader, DCC Appollos Dandaura, and his team to intensify efforts for more arrests by launching their dragnets further into every nook and cranny of the country in order to fish out other dangerous criminal elements and syndicates perpetrating heinous financial crimes to the detriment of the nation.
He warned all criminal syndicates to desist from this venture and get other legitimate means of survival or face the wrath of the law because the NSCDC and other security agencies will fish them out no matter their hiding places.
The arrested suspects are still providing the Corps with useful information for further investigation and will be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution after the preliminary investigation is concluded.
Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched for other fleeing members of the syndicates.
