Man Arrested With Fake Local & Foreign Currencies Which Run Into Millions (Pictured)

A 42-year-old man, Rafiu Olusamokun, is currently in the
custody of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly producing fake foreign
and local currencies, which allegedly run into millions of naira.

A Punch correspondent learnt that Olusamokun, an indigene of
Owo, Ondo State, was arrested by the police in his house at Ayidolapo Street,
in the Ikotun area of the state.

Punch Metro gathered that the suspect, who was a motor
mechanic before allegedly venturing into production of fake currencies, worked
with some people who were still at large.

It was learnt that the police recovered an iron box full of
fake dollars, pounds and naira notes from Olusamokun. Some materials such as
cotton wool, paints and oil, allegedly used in the production of the money,
were also recovered by the police.

Speaking with Punch Metro, the suspect said he was
introduced into the business by some men who claimed to have newly returned
from Europe.

Olusamokun said the men brainwashed him and forced him to
pay about N600,000 to purchase the materials to produce the fake currencies.

He said, “I met those people early this year. I was working
as a motor mechanic, and I just ran into them. They said they recently returned
from Europe. When I visited them at a hotel in the Bar Beach, Victoria Island
area, they brought out the samples of the currencies they had, and said I could
produce same if I wanted to become wealthy.

“I was immediately interested. A friend, Sule Sulaimon, who
went with me, also became interested. Their leader said all I needed to do was
to purchase the chemicals from them. He said I should bring N1m, but I
eventually paid N650,000 for the chemicals.

“I did not know the samples they gave me were fake; the
papers looked so original. I first gave him N400,000, and then N250,000. He
said I could reproduce as much hard currencies as I wanted from the materials I
had.

“The currencies recovered from my house runs into millions,
but I was not through with the reproduction. If I had finished with it, I would
have been a wealthy man. I would have evaded the arrest.”

A police source told the Punch correspondent that Olusamokun
was to give part of the money reproduced to the syndicate, so that he could be
given more materials. He added that the police were still on the trail of the
group.

The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the suspect
would be charged to court as soon as investigations were over.