A factory where fake currencies of nairas, as well as pounds, euros, dollars and other foreign currencies were being produced has been found by officers of the the Oyo state police command.
Commissioner of police in the state, Mohammed Katsina
The factory was found in the remote village of Ojoku in Badeku, Ona-Ara local government area of Oyo state after a raid by police, the commissioner of police in the state, Mohammed Katsina, said.
Katsina said the area was fast becoming to an abode of criminals, having earlier served as a kidnappers’ den.
A correspondent of The Punch who visited the factory on Monday could not enter as it had been sealed off by police, and was shielded by tall trees and thick bushes but saw three cars in the compound which was fenced with corrugated iron sheets.
Notes of different fake foreign currencies were found littered on the ground.
The fake currency factory was masked as a shrine so several criminal activities occurring inside would not cause suspicion.
The compound had two houses with at least six rooms each and various items were used on the buildings walls to give the impression that the place was being used as a shrine.
A suspect arrested in the building, Ismail Adesina, 43, said he was oblivious of the activities claiming the owners of the building had escaped. He claimed he was a geniune herbalist but turned to a life of financial crime to provide for himself after his wife and child left him.
He said he lied he was a herbalist helping victims to cure ailments and barrenness to swindle them.
Adesina said, “I am a herbalist and I inherited the skill from my father. I am also a conman. I cured diabetes, barrenness, blindness and other ailments. I have cured many people. My partner, who escaped yesterday, knows how the currencies were produced. Taju and Wasiu are my other partners. We have been here for about four years. We collected varying sums of money from our victims but we do not kidnap people. We bought the land in the bush and built the houses. I am a native of Beyerunka in Ibadan. The names of our victims are with my partners.”
He also said he had bought a car from his criminal activities but had to sell it.
The police said after taking money from victims, the criminals would tie them and take nude pictures threatening to release them if they told anyone of their activities
Meanwhile the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested two top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who plotted with officials of private banks to defraud the country of about N8 billion.
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