FOR two years, Osakpolor Igbinosa, the Oriowon,
Edo State born Material Security Officer attached to
the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting
Company, NSPMC, with its head office in Victoria
Island, Lagos, had basked in the euphoria of
stealing printed naira notes from his company
without being caught.

With the proceeds of his criminality, Osakpolor had
bought a Pathfinder Jeep and built a state of the art
bungalow at his home town and lived above his
income to the consternation of his colleagues. As a
security officer he carried out his nefarious deal
without a tincture of suspicion.
He searched other staff while closing for the day’s
job; but right under his sucks and pants were a few
naira notes masterly tucked in.
Lucrative business

But like the age-long aphorism which says ‘every
day for the thief, one day for the owner,’ the 43
year-old secondary school graduate and father of
four is presently telling the police the story of his
life as his hitherto ‘lucrative business’ has spelt his
doom.

Though Osakpolor had as usual succeeded in
meandering through the highly secured NSPMC
gate with his loot, the long arm of the law caught
up with him while attempting to exchange some of
the stolen naira notes for the US Dollars
somewhere in the suburbs of Ikorodu, Lagos.
Betraying emotions while narrating how he was
beaten to his act, Igbinosa who was clad in a pair of
jeans trousers, a stripe long sleeve shirt and
leather sandal to match said: “I know my game is
up, all I need now is mercy of God because of my
wife and four children.

“I want to correct one impression that I belong to a
syndicate who specialize in printing fake naira
notes. I am not. I am a staff of NSPMC, a material
security officer; anybody can go and find out. My
staff number is MSC/4503. Others said I printed the
notes by myself, that is a lie. What happened is
that I normally steal some of the notes that have no
security numbers on them from my company and
outside, I would exchange them for the genuine old
ones.

“I have been doing it; most Nigerians are not
conscious of the numbers. When they see crispy
notes, they will readily jump on them. So, that is
what I have been doing since 2010. In 2010, I stole
for two weeks consecutively and made big money; I
can’t tell you the amount now. And I have been
spending the money without anybody knowing.
With it, I bought my Pathfinder jeep and built my
house.

“In 2011, I did not steal much because there was a
new security head who was not friendly at all. But
this year, 2012, he was redeployed to another
section and that gave me the leverage to start
again. I have been doing it since this year and I felt
it was time I traveled outside the country.
The ones that the police recovered from me were
the last ones I wanted to dispose of before the
Mallam at the place I normally do my exchange
discovered. I do not know how they got me this
time around but I think it was God that wanted to
expose me.

“What I want you people to do for me is to beg the
police to have mercy on me not for my sake but for
the sake of my wife and four children. They did not
know how I got the money with which they fed. Let
them leave me so that I can repent, serve God and
live a good life.”
But the Police through its public relations officer,
DSP Ngozi Braide, said no matter how pathetic and
convincing his tale of criminality may sound, the
law will have to take its full course. She said “On
September 19, 2012 at about 4.00pm.
Business of exchange
She said: “One Abdulraham Abdullahi of Benson
Plaza Ikorodu alerted police men attached to
Shagamu road that one Osakpolor Igbinosa of the
Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company
located on Victoria Island with staff number
MSC./4503 transacted a business of exchange of
nine hundred naira for three thousand US Dollars.
During the transaction, the said nine hundred
thousand naira was discovered to be fake because
the notes do not have security/minting numbers.
The suspect was promptly arrested by the Police
and during interrogation, he confessed being a
security man attached to the NSPMC and that he
stole the nine hundred thousand counterfeit money
from the office.

He further stated that he had been stealing the
counterfeit money since 2010 and bought a Nissan
Pathfinder Jeep with registration number KRD
480AE from the illegal business. He even
attempted to bribe the police who came to effect
his arrest with the sum of N300, 000 but the offer
was turned down.”

The Police image maker further stated that a total
of N320,000 genuine money was recovered from
him adding that he would soon be charged to court
under the relevant section of the law.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/09/games-up-for-nigerian-printing-minting-staff-for-stealing-printed-naira-notes/

[/color][color=#006600] This is serious..............

Its hard not to get tempted while doing that kind of work. The law should go easy on him abeg.