Fake currency: Court jails teacher, cattle dealer in Kwara

A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced three individuals over alleged possession and dealing in counterfeit foreign currencies. The case was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and presided over by Justice Abimbola Awogboro. The convicts are Salisu Nura, a cattle transporter from Tagwoyen Faye in Jigawa State; […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced three individuals over alleged possession and dealing in counterfeit foreign currencies.

The case was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and presided over by Justice Abimbola Awogboro.

The convicts are Salisu Nura, a cattle transporter from Tagwoyen Faye in Jigawa State; Umar Mikailu, a teacher from Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State; and Haruna Abubakar, a Bureau De Change operator. 

They were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms after the court found them guilty of the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.

The court found that the offences revolved around possession and circulation of fake United States dollars and British pounds, as well as unlawful financial operations without regulatory approval.

The case began after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kwara State intercepted two of the suspects during a stop-and-search operation on January 27, 2026. 

The suspects were later transferred to the EFCC for further investigation.

One of the defendants, identified as Salisu Nura, was found with 435 counterfeit $100 notes and 378 fake £50 notes during the arrest, alongside other incriminating materials linked to currency fraud activities, the court heard.

Prosecutors told the court that investigations revealed wider involvement in circulation of counterfeit currency, including transactions involving dozens of fake $100 notes bearing identical serial numbers.

While two of the defendants changed course and pleaded guilty, Nura maintained a not-guilty plea to an eleven-count charge, prompting the court to separate his trial from the others.

Prosecution counsel, Ola Sesan and Rashidat Alao, urged the court to rely on the confessional statements and material evidence tendered.

They argued that the case had been sufficiently proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Awogboro described the offences as serious breaches of Nigeria’s financial and monetary integrity laws.

He subsequently sentenced Salisu Nura and Umar Mikailu to two years’ imprisonment each without an option of fine and ordered the forfeiture of all counterfeit currencies recovered to the Federal Government.

In a separate ruling, Haruna Abubakar, who was tried on a lone-count charge of operating an unlicensed Bureau de Change, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine.