The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps says it arrested three persons in connection with fake currencies worth N2 million.

Parading the suspects, NSCDC spokesman in Zamfara, Ikor Uche, said the corps arrested the suspects for being involved in printing, minting and circulating fake naira and dollar notes.

Mr Uche said Kamallu Sani, 28, Sulieman Yusuf, 29 and  Uzaifa Muazu all of Tsafe council area, were arrested in Gusau on Monday while trying to pay for transport fare to a Keke Napep rider with a fake N1,000 note.

The rider identified the fake banknote and raised the alarm, which led to the arrest of the culprits.

According to the command, investigations revealed that Mr Sani had been counterfeiting the banknotes for one year, confessing Ado Gurgu of Tsafe local council who took him to Muazu Abdulkarim of kwartarkwarshi village, introduced him to the criminal act.

Mr Uche said Mr Kamallu admitted that Mr Abdulkarim was the person who supplied the fake currency notes and that each N1,000 fake note was exchanged for N400 only.

The operatives of the corps traced the supplier to kwartarkwarshi village where the prime suspect, Mr Abdulkarim, who is at large, directed his son Uzaifa Muazu, who had been in the illicit trade with the father, to open a box that contained fake currencies both in naira and dollars for supplies to the suspects.

Fake N60,000 notes were found alongside fake $2,600 notes, totalling N1.92 million found in the box.

He said N17,000 of the fake currency was seized from Mr Sani during his arrest.

He confirmed that Mr Muazu, the prime suspect’s son, confessed that his father had been counterfeiting the currencies for more than three years.

(NAN)