Police intercept $33,200 fake notes, arms, stolen vehicles in Kaduna

Kaduna police said they recovered suspected counterfeit currency, firearms and stolen vehicles in separate operations across the state, including 332 fake 100-dollar notes with a face value of $33,200.

The command said officers recovered nine locally fabricated firearms during an operation around the Maraban Jos area after intelligence indicated that suspected gunrunners were moving through the area. Some suspects reportedly diverted their vehicles when police mounted roadblocks, while others escaped into nearby bushland.

In the Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government Area, police and members of the Kaduna Vigilance Service responded to reports that armed bandits were disrupting farmers’ access to their land. Police said the bandits opened fire before fleeing after security personnel returned fire, abandoning a pump-action rifle, two cartridges and a motorcycle.

Three men were arrested at Panteka in Kaduna while allegedly attempting to sell a stolen black GMK Jeep. Police estimated the vehicle’s value at about 70 million naira but said the suspects planned to sell it for 4 million naira after dismantling it for spare parts.

The suspects were identified as Hashiru Ibrahim, Mohammed Ibrahim and Umar Hassan. Police said preliminary inquiries indicated that Hashiru allegedly stole the vehicle in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he worked as a driver for a Chinese company. The vehicle has been recovered and secured, while investigations continue into other alleged members of the syndicate. Police also said they were working to arrest suspects who escaped during the weapons operation.

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Due to the superior firepower of the security forces, the bandits were forced to flee into the surrounding bush, abandoning one pump-action rifle with two cartridges and one motorcycle.