NSCDC foils criminal syndicate, seizes $600K, weapons, mining tools

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 16 suspects in separate operations in Kano and Edo states over offences including possession of counterfeit $600,000, unlawful possession of firearms, illegal mining, and suspected kidnapping.

The arrests were carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad in collaboration with the NSCDC Kano State Command, according to the corps’ spokesman, Babawale Afolabi.

One of the suspects, Abbas Garkuwa, was apprehended on February 27 in Kwankwasiya City, Zaria Road, Kumbotso LGA, Kano, for allegedly printing counterfeit US dollars and defrauding a victim. Investigators recovered fake $600,000 (worth nearly N1 billion), alongside charms, chemical containers, counterfeit printing materials, ATM cards, and other items. Preliminary checks revealed he had previously issued fake $6,200 in exchange for ₦9 million from a victim and attempted further deception through accomplices.

In a separate operation in Kano, Sulaiman Uba was arrested with six locally fabricated rifles. Investigations linked him to a criminal network masquerading as a private security outfit that facilitated illegal arms movement between Yobe and Kogi states. Another suspect, Kaumi Alhaji Kadau, 39, from Gujba LGA, Yobe, was apprehended for allegedly running an arms manufacturing facility. Items seized included improvised gun pipes, fire selectors, and metalworking tools.

In Edo State, eight suspects were arrested at Ososo Line 4 within BUA Cement premises in Okpella, Etsako East LGA, for alleged involvement in kidnapping, illegal mining, and unlawful entry into restricted areas. Tools recovered included machetes, shovels, diggers, and headpans.

The NSCDC Commandant-General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, praised operatives for the arrests, warning that acts of economic sabotage, arms trafficking, and kidnapping pose serious threats to national security. He directed intensified investigations to identify crime sponsors and ensure all suspects at large are apprehended and prosecuted.

The NSCDC has in recent years ramped up intelligence-led operations to combat crimes such as illegal mining, arms trafficking, kidnapping, and economic sabotage nationwide.