Sir: A few weeks ago, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the arrest of some persons suspected of trafficking in counterfeit currencies, from whom fake $4.9 million and CFA57 million were seized.
Incidentally, the operatives of the anti-narcotics agency were conducting a routine search on vehicles on the Abuja-Lokoja Highway when they stumbled on these fake currencies.
For well-meaning citizens, the report of the arrest and seizure was a good development because, had those counterfeits by chance made it into circulation, we could only imagine the number of Nigerians that would lose their hard-earned money. And in this time of serious austerity, that would further compound the woes of the victims. Hence, NDLEA operatives deserved commendations.
Ironically and unfortunately, the reactions of some Nigerians to the news smack of derision and ignorance, hence this intervention to educate them. They, especially young people, were busy on social media, questioning why NDLEA operatives made the seizure since counterfeit money is not, according to them, within the jurisdiction of drug law enforcement. Some even expressed scepticism about the authenticity of the arrest, claiming that it was staged. Such irrational reactions exposed the hidden apathy and hostility harboured by some Nigerians against law enforcement.
I think society needs to school these sceptics that there is nothing wrong with an arm of law enforcement busting crimes that are not directly under its purview.
Of course, NDLEA made it clear that the suspects and the exhibits were transferred to the relevant authority, in this case, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is not the first time that NDLEA intercepted fake money. This latest, which happened on October 15, 2023, is probably the fourth time in 22 months based on information available on the internet.
We can recall that on January 21, 2023, NDLEA recovered counterfeit $269,000 from a drug syndicate in Lagos after the arrest of three suspects. Also, on August 20, another 20 million counterfeit dollars were intercepted by NDLEA operatives along the Abaji-Lokoja Expressway. Last year, on February 21, operatives of the agency intercepted another fake $4.7 million in cash. In the cases not involving illicit drugs, suspects and exhibits were transferred to the relevant law enforcement agency.
NDLEA had also in the past intercepted human traffickers with the suspects and their victims handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The most recent example of this was in September when NDLEA operatives rescued five pregnant teenage victims of trafficking in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, and promptly handed them over to NAPTIP officials who are more equipped to handle such cases.
There are few instances where the agency caught bandits and gun runners with sophisticated weapons and transferred them, suspects and exhibits, to the Nigerian Army. Similarly, there have been reports of Nigeria Customs Service seizing illicit drugs which were then handed over to NDLEA or NAFDAC.
In September, for instance, Customs handed over cannabis and opioids worth N699.5 million to NDLEA. All of these speak volumes about the existing synergy among law enforcement, security, and regulatory bodies.
It should be noted that the motive of law enforcement is to stop crime first. To those not happy about this synergy: Would they have preferred that NDLEA operatives look the other way and allow those purveyors of fake dollars to go scot-free since they didn’t find any illicit drugs during the check?
We all know the havoc those fake dollars would have caused to our economy. It shouldn’t matter whether it was NDLEA, Customs, or NSCDC that busted the crime; what should matter is the fact that the crime was stopped in its tracks.
We should look past our cynicism and appreciate law enforcement that works. Lest we forget, our collective security lies in law enforcement prevailing over crime and criminals.
Blessing Aliyu wrote from Gombi, Adamawa State.
