Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempt by a syndicate to steal at least N2.7 billion from the Nigerian economy by pushing into circulation fake notes totalling $4.7 million. The operatives, in the early hours of Friday, February 18, 2022, intercepted a consignment sent from Lagos to Abuja in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said a controlled delivery of the parcelled counterfeit US dollars totalling $4,760,000 led to the arrest of the principal suspect, 52-year-old Abdulmumini Maikasuwa.
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He said, “The seizure followed intelligence received by the FCT command of the agency detailing the movement of the cash and the vehicle conveying it.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has directed that both the cash and the suspect be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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, including Tramadol, Swinol, Diazepam and Pentazocine ampules.
Before her latest arrest on Thursday, February 17, Mrs Adebayo had been arrested and granted bail on January 24, 2022, for dealing in similar drugs.
