The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday secured the conviction of four counterfeit currency dealers before Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court Kebbi on a four-count charge of conspiracy and possession of counterfeit currency.

The convicts, Usman Ahmed, Isiyaku Mohammed, Mohammed Abubakar Badadi and Rilwanu Abdullahi, were arrested by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps at Birnin Kebbi while in possession of a sum of N583,000 in fake one thousand Naira notes.

The case was eventually transferred to the commission for further investigation.

After listening to the charge, all the accused persons pleaded guilty to the four count charge.

In view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecution counsel, N.K Ukoha, urged the court to convict them accordingly.

Justice Amobeda convicted all the accused persons as charged

Before sentence was delivered, counsel for the defendants S.B. Ka’oje pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy given that the convicts are first time offenders with no criminal record. He added that the convicts are all family men with children and many defendants.

In his ruling, Justice Amobeda sentenced the convicts to five years imprisonment on each of the four count charge. The sentence is to run concurrently and also to begin from the day of their arrest.

One of the charge read that “you Usman Ahmed, Isiyaku Mohammed, Mohammed Abubakar Badadi and Rilwanu Abdullahi on or about 8th July, 2016 in Birnin Kebbi within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire among yourselves to do an unlawful act to wit; being in possession of 583 pieces of 1000 Nigeria Naira Notes and thereby committed an offense contrary and punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code.”