Police Arrest Four Suspects, Recover N1.21m Counterfeit Notes in Ibadan
By Zagazola Makama
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested four suspects and recovered counterfeit currency notes with a face value of N1.211 million in Ibadan.
The arrests followed information received by the police from Comrade Idowu Olusegun, a vigilante commander in Oluyole Local Government Area, about the circulation of counterfeit N1,000 notes in the Olomi-Olunde area of Ibadan.
According to sources , two suspects, identified as Aishat Akano, 30, and Fawaz Azeez, 11, allegedly visited a mini-mart in the Aiyegun area of Ibadan at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 to purchase a soft drink using a counterfeit N1,000 note.
The shop owner reportedly detected the note as counterfeit and alerted security personnel, leading to the arrest of the two suspects.
The police said information obtained from the suspects during interrogation led detectives from Sanyo Division to a suspected hideout in the Molete area of Ibadan.
There, operatives arrested two additional suspects identified as Ahweyi Joseph, 39, and Afusat Tajudeen, 50.
A search of the premises allegedly led to the recovery of counterfeit currency notes with a total face value of N1,211,500.
The four suspects are currently assisting police investigators in efforts to uncover the source of the counterfeit currency and identify other members of the suspected syndicate.
The police said efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the network as investigation continues.
The Command warned members of the public to remain vigilant when handling cash transactions and report suspected counterfeit currency or suspicious activities to security agencies.
