Police Operatives serving in Igbo-Eze South Division of Enugu State Command, have arrested two suspects for allegedly possessing suspected counterfeit one hundred and eighty (180) pieces of the newly redesigned one thousand naira (N1,000) notes.

On Thursday, February 2, officers arrested one Joseph Chinenye aged 39, and Onyeka Kenneth Ezeja aged 29, both male and respectively of Iheakpu-Awka in Igbo-Eze South LGA and Onicha Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-Eze North LGA for carrying counterfeit notes.

According to a statement issued by the state police command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, preliminary investigation shows that the notes, which are in three separate batches, bear the same serial numbers of A/34:282656, A/46:578759, and 8/93:852942; while the suspects claimed to have obtained the counterfeited Naira notes from an unidentified woman in Benin, Edo State.

“They confessed to attempting to sell the notes to a POS operator, who rejected them, before the Operatives arrested them at a Filling Station in Ibagwa-Aka community of Igbo-Eze LGA, where they used the notes to purchase petrol. The duo will be arraigned in court upon consolidation and conclusion of an investigation into the case by the State CID Enugu,” Ndukwe said

He stated that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Ammani, has reaffirmed the Police’s determination to apprehend and prosecute criminal elements intent on committing such acts of economic sabotage.

As a result, he advised everyone to join the Police in their pursuit, while remaining watchful and aware of who or how they get and conduct transactions using Naira notes, particularly fresh ones.

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he was aware of the scarcity of cash and was working on eradicating it.

In a post shared on his official Twitter account on February 3, President Buhari informed Nigerians that he met with some governors to look into the problem and promised significant improvements between now and February 10.

He wrote;

“I am aware of the cash shortages and hardship being faced by people and businesses, on account of the Naira redesign. I want to assure that we are doing everything to resolve these issues. Nigerians should expect significant improvements between now and the February 10 deadline.
I met with a delegation of Governors today, on the matter. All the complaints about the execution of the currency change are being seriously looked into. I will ensure that everything is resolved in a lasting manner, and we will all enjoy the long-term benefits of the decision.”

A 46-year-old man identified as Hassan Azeez has been arrested by the Ogun state Police Command, for allegedly setting his wife ablaze.

According to a statement issued by SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, spokesperson for the state police command, the suspect was apprehended after the victim’s father reported to Ibogun divisional headquarters that on October 22, 2022, his daughter, Olayinka Hassan, was set ablaze by her husband over a minor disagreement and that the victim, a mother of one, was rushed to a hospital in Ibadan.

He said;

“Upon the report, the DPO Ibogun division, CSP Samuel Oladele quickly mobilized his men and moved to the scene. But before getting there, the suspect had escaped. Since then, the police operatives have been on his trail until 22nd of January when he was eventually apprehended.
On interrogation, the suspect who claimed to have ran away to Benin Republic confessed to the commission of the crime but blamed it on the devil.
According to him, he asked the victim to prepare food for him but instead of the victim to prepare his food, she was busy washing clothes. He stated further that he got annoyed because he was hungry and the annoyance made him to pour petrol on her and set her on fire. When asked whose clothes the woman was washing, he confessed that it was his clothes.”

The suspect has been sent to the state Criminal Investigation Department’s Homicide Section for additional investigation and probable prosecution.