A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced three individuals convicted of alleged possession and dealing in counterfeit foreign currencies.

The case was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and presided over by Justice Abimbola Awogboro.

The convicts are Salisu Nura, a cattle transporter from Tagwoyen Faye in Jigawa State; Umar Mikailu, a teacher from Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State; and Haruna Abubakar, a Bureau De Change operator.

They were convicted and handed various prison terms after the court found them guilty of the charges brought by the EFCC.

The court determined that the offences centred on the possession and circulation of counterfeit United States dollars and British pounds, as well as unlawful financial operations conducted without regulatory approval.

The case originated after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kwara State intercepted two of the suspects during a stop-and-search operation on 27 January 2026.

The suspects were subsequently transferred to the EFCC for further investigation.

During the proceedings, the court heard that Salisu Nura was found in possession of 435 counterfeit $100 notes and 378 fake $50 notes at the time of his arrest, alongside other incriminating materials linked to currency fraud activities.

Prosecutors informed the court that investigations uncovered broader involvement in the circulation of counterfeit currency, including transactions involving dozens of fake $100 notes bearing identical serial numbers.

While two of the defendants opted to plead guilty, Nura maintained a not-guilty plea to an eleven-count charge, prompting the court to separate his trial from the others.

Prosecution counsel, Ola Sesan and Rashidat Alao, urged the court to rely on the confessional statements and material evidence tendered, arguing that the case had been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Awogboro described the offences as serious breaches of Nigeria's financial and monetary integrity laws.

He subsequently sentenced Salisu Nura and Umar Mikailu to two years' imprisonment each, without an option of fine, and ordered the forfeiture of all recovered counterfeit currencies to the Federal Government.

In a separate ruling, Haruna Abubakar, who was tried on a lone-count charge of operating an unlicensed Bureau de Change, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine.