In a renewed effort to curb the circulation of fake currency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has engaged members of the Gombe State Local Market Traders Association in a sensitisation lecture on the dangers of currency counterfeiting.
Speaking during the session, held at the EFCC Zonal Office in Gombe, the acting Zonal Director and Deputy Commander of the EFCC, DCE Sa’ad Hanafi, urged traders to always remain vigilant and promptly report any suspected cases of counterfeit currency to the Commission.
Hanafi cited a recent incident where a suspect attempted to use counterfeit notes in the market, saying, “A man was caught with one hundred pieces of fake one thousand naira notes while trying to buy food items.”
During the interactive engagement, the EFCC official presented both fake and genuine naira notes, highlighting key differences to enable traders to better detect forgeries adding, “The physical attributes of this one piece of fake one thousand naira note is that they all have the same serial numbers. The texture and colour of these fake naira notes are different from the authentic currency.”
He advised the traders to always check their cash before concluding transactions. “Be cautious and always verify the authenticity of cash given to you,” he added.
On his part, Chairman of the Gombe State Traders Association, Alhaji Uba Abdullahi, commended the EFCC for organising the lecture and equipping them with vital knowledge.
He said, “We thank the Commission for offering us an enabling environment to brainstorm on currency counterfeiting.”
While pledging the association’s support in fighting the menace. “Our members are ready to report such cases whenever they arise,” he assured.
