In the midst of all money hassle presently escalating tension in Nigeria some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service has rejected a whooping sum of $150 000 bribe to save $6million fake notes from die hard smugglers who were about to move the fake notes out of Nigeria through SEME border axis .
The Nigeria Customs Service Seme Border Command has on the 31st January 2023 intercepted $6million bills of fake currency at Gbaji Customs check point in Lagos.
Seized alongside with the fake notes was international passports from the syndicate operating in the axis.
The fake money when converted to Naira is equivalent of N2.763 Billion at the official exchange rate of N460.52.
The Customs Area Controller of the Command Compt Dera Nnadi displayed the fake currencies at Seme Border command on Thursday during a press briefing organized in the Command’s conference room .
The CAC revealed that the seizure was made at Gbaji checkpoint.
According to the him, the smugglers offered the original whooping sum of $150 thousand to bribe the customs officers through the OC of team Musa Istifanus Datsok in order to allow the fake currency passage but met with their deaf ears.
Compt Nnadi described the seizure has disturbing and dangerous trend, considering the fact that general elections are around the corner.
He said that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures.
Also on that same day, at about 0530 hours, he said officers on patrol along Gbetrome base intercepted Six (6) Maltese International Passports with the same picture of a lady but bearing different names.
Two (2) Senegalese International Passports, Three (3) Togolese International Passports. Four (4) Republic of Benin International Passports. One (1) Republic of Niger International Passport and Ten (10) International Driving License of these various countries from two male suspects who are also in custody pending further investigation.
Among the seized items were 1,300 by 30 liters jerry can of PMS equivalent 39,000 liters roughly over one fuel tanker of PMS with duty paid value of N9, 366.45million only.
The products were seized from along the creeks.
Other items seized includes 55 sacks containing 550 pieces of donkey skin with Duty Paid Value of N11.371.511.
He stressed the significance of the seizure as it shows how much our endanger species are being eroded by unpatriotic elements.
He affirmed that it would only take the eagle eye of a trained officer to detect that they were fake.
“Some of these currencies bear the same serial number, and besides that, it will be very difficult for you to identify them as fake.
Two people were arrested in respect of this illicit act”.
“Similar to this, we also arrested just few hours after this, two other passengers in a different vehicle, while searching them, we discovered some international passports that belong to Malta Republic.
“All the six passports we got bears the same photographs of the same person, but with different names.
“The passport belongs to the republic of Malta, but bears the photograph of someone who appears to be an European and bearing different names for all the six passports.
“The same lady also has six international driver’s licenses bearing her photograph with six different names which shows that we are dealing with a very serious syndicate that moves across the borders” Compt Nnadi stated.
Comptroller Nnadi said that he is suspicious of the fact that this international syndicate is using these passports to move across from one border to another country with a different identity.
“We suspect that it is a syndicate that is involved in cross border criminality. We also know that the election is around the corner and with this development, it is a dangerous trend.
“For the currency we have two suspects and for the international passports we also have two suspects”
Also speaking on the seizure, the Controller, Seme Command of Nigeria Immigration Service, Dr M.C Dike said the passport must be related to an international syndicate.
“It is possible for you to have a dual nationality, but from his explanation, it is clear that the suspects are international syndicates indulged in criminal behaviours.
“The seizure and the amount of money that have being seized marvels me. We are talking about billions of naira. These are criminals moving across the borders and this is the implication for us” he said
