The police in Oyo State have smashed a counterfeiting ring after they discovered a fake currency factory in a remote village in Ibadan, the state capital.
State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Katsina, stated that the facility was discovered by the command’s ambush squad in a village called Ojoku in the Ona-Ara Local Government Area of the state.
The scene of the crime is also said to have been used as a shrine and a kidnapper’s den by various criminals.
A suspect who was arrested at the location, Ismail Adesina, claimed that he did not have a hand in the currency counterfeiting business.
“I am a herbalist and I inherited the skill from my father. I am also a conman. 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,” Adesina said.
According to the police, the suspects not only take money from their victims, they also blackmail them with nude photos in order to keep them silent.