EFCC secures conviction of three for currency counterfeiting in Ilorin
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin –
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of three persons for currency counterfeiting before Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin.
The convicts — Olaitan Dina, a 46-year-old aluminium fabricator; Opeyemi Jeremiah, a bakery worker; and Adebayo Mayowa Abiola from Ekiti State — were arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and handed over to the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC for investigation.
Investigations revealed that the naira notes found in their possession were counterfeit, with several bearing identical serial numbers. The defendants were subsequently prosecuted on separate charges and pleaded guilty to the offences.
During the review of facts, EFCC counsel, Aliyu Adebayo, called Detective Abdulhakeem Sani Umar, who testified that the fake notes recovered from the convicts were sent to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja for forensic examination, which confirmed they were counterfeit. “The analysis confirmed the notes to be counterfeit,” the witness told the court.
The prosecution tendered the fake currency and the defendants’ statements as evidence, urging the court to convict them as charged. In her judgment, Justice Awogboro held that the EFCC had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court sentenced Dina to 18 months’ imprisonment, while Jeremiah and Abiola each received 15 months’ imprisonment. All sentences are to run from October 15, 2025, without an option of fine.
Justice Awogboro also ordered that all counterfeit notes recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
