Customs intercepts counterfeit $6 million, 39,000 gallons of gasoline

The Seme Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service said it had intercepted N6m packs of counterfeit US dollars en route to the Republic of Benin from Nigeria via the border.

The customs inspector in charge of the command, Dera Nnadi, said while addressing journalists at the command on Thursday that the currency equivalent to N2.7bn was intercepted on Tuesday.

He gave details about the fake dollars and said that all currencies have the same serial number.

He added that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the fake dollars.

“On January 31, 2023, customs officers at Gbaaji checkpoint intercepted a vehicle carrying two passengers. And when they intercepted them, they discovered this currency that you see here, which is fake US dollars.

“When we counted them, it was worth $6,000,000 in $100 wraps. But it only takes the eye of a trained officer to dictate that they are fake. One of the landmarks we discovered was that they carry the same serial numbers.

“Besides, it will be very difficult for you to discover that they were fake. Very few people have been arrested in connection with this.”

However, he said the suspects tried to bribe the officers with real $150,000, but the officers declined the offer.

Nnadi said the command also intercepted 39,000 liters of Petroleum Motor Spirit with an excise value of N9 million, which is also about to be taken out of the country.

“Also intercepted was 30 liters each of 1,300 jereycans of PMS along the creeks. We have two suspects for the counterfeit currency and two suspects for the PMS.”

He said the command intercepted six international passports with the same photos, but with different names and nationals.

“A few hours after other passengers in another vehicle searched them and their luggage, we discovered some international passports.

“These passports you see here are for the Republic of Malta. But unique about them is that all passports, six of them, bear the photo of the same person, but with different names.

“The passports were from the Republic of Malta and contained the photos of someone supposedly a European lady, but with different names for all six passports.”

According to him: “The same lady also had six international driver’s licenses with her photos but with six different names.

“The significance of this is that we are dealing here with a very dangerous syndicate moving across the border.

“You all know that elections are just around the corner and we also know what the country is going through, which the military is doing its best to contain.

“With these developments, it is a dangerous trend here. The passports also went out of the country and we were intercepted at Gbatrume.

He also said the command intercepted 550 pieces of donkey skin worth N11 million.

The Seme Customs boss said the command intercepted 93 prizes of fake herbicide worth N491 million.