Catholic cleric arrested for selling fake currency

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a Catechist of the Catholic Church for allegedly selling fake currency.

The amount involved was over N15m.

Equally important, the Catholic Cathechist, identified as Sebastine Dabu, 48, was nabbed alongside two others. They are Emmanuel Akazuwa, 42 and Umar Mohammed, 50. The suspects were arrested in a hotel in the Kontagora area of Niger State while trying to get a buyer for the N15.8million in their possession.

While parading the Catholic Catechist and his alleged accomplices; spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, said the suspects will be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation is concluded.

Meanwhile, the Catechist, who owned up to the act, blamed it on poverty. Dabu, who disclosed that he was a farmer, said he wanted to ameliorate the suffering of his family.

‘‘I am a Catechist in a Catholic church in Kebbi and I have not been involved in this before. I feel bad for being caught.

”And I wonder what I will tell the congregation and my children. It was really temptation.”

“I have never done this before. But the suffering was too much. That is why I decided to get involved and whatever money I get from this, I will use it to help myself and my family.

“It was due to suffering that I decided to connect Emmanuel with Umar who said he will get a buyer for us. The person was meant to buy each million for N150,000…We would have made money if we succeeded but we didn’t.

“As a Catechist, it is temptation that made me get involved in this. Nobody is above temptation.”

Also speaking, one of the suspects, Akazuwa, claimed to have bought the fake currency at the rate of N150,000. Further, he disclosed that he had met the Catechist at a Cathedral Congress in Benue State; even as he added that the q promised to help him sell the counterfeit currency.

Thereafter, he revealed that Dabu asked him to bring the money to Niger State.

“This is my first time in this business,’’ Akazuwa said. ‘‘I wanted to just sell it and use the money I get to buy a motorcycle for commercial business. I know it was fake and it is criminal…That is why I did not use it all through the time I was given.

“I met the Catechist at a Congress in Makurdi…He promised me that he will get a buyer for me. I met him in Mokwa junction and from there, we proceeded to Kontagora. But we could not sell it, rather, we were arrested,” he said.