NDLEA Intercepts Fake $4.7 Million
By Bukar Bolori
An attempt to push 4.7 million fake dollars into circulation in Nigeria has been foiled by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This would have done a damage of over N2.7 billion to Nigeria’s economy, which is the worth of the fake dollars.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have foiled attempt by a syndicate to steal at least N2.7 billion from the Nigerian economy by pushing into circulation fake $4.7 million cash.
He disclosed that the operatives had in the early hours last Friday intercepted a consignment sent from Lagos to Abuja at Abaji area of the Federal Capital Territory, adding that a controlled delivery of the parcelled counterfeit US dollars totalling $4,760, 000.00 led to the arrest of a principal suspect, 52-year-old Abdulmumini Maikasuwa.
He said the seizure followed intelligence received by the FCT Command of the NDLEA detailing the movement of the cash and the vehicle conveying it.
According to Babafemi, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed that both the cash and the suspect in custody be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
The agency in other clampdown in the course of last week, in Kwara State, barely three weeks after a nursing mother, Mrs. Rashidat Adebayo, 38, was granted administrative bail following her arrest for dealing in illicit drugs, operatives have again arrested her in Offa with assorted drugs such as Tramadol, Swinol, Diazepam and Pentazocine injection ampules.
Babafemi said before before her latest arrest last Thursday, the nursing mother had been arrested and granted bail on 24th January 2022 for dealing in similar drugs.
The operatives of NDLEA have also arrested two drug dealers: Sani Isa (aka Bilaz) and Bala Yerima in Hong, Adamawa State with 239 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 209 kilogrammes, just as operatives of the Bauchi State Command have intercepted a truck marked FFF 422 XB coming from Lagos to Maiduguri, at Azare, Bauchi.
A total of 164.8kg of cannabis sativa concealed in peak milk cartons was recovered from the truck.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Marwa (Retd.) has commended the officers and men of the FCT Command for their vigilance in preventing the counterfeit $4.7 million sneaking into the streets.
He however charged them as well as their counterparts in Adamawa, Kwara, Bauchi and other Commands across the country not to rest on their oars.
