Pastor, kids, others, held for printing fake naira notes

A self-styled pastor was yesterday paraded along with 15 others for allegedly printing and circulating fake naira notes.

Kogi State Director of State Security Service (SSS) Mike Fubara, who paraded the suspects, said six of them are Pastor Godson Akubuiro's children.

Akubuiro, 49, is the General Overseer of The Mountain of Breakthrough Deliverance Ministry, also known as Land of Solution, located at Plot 7, Koya Estate, Igbo Olomu, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos from where he and other suspects were arrested. The “pastor” hails from Imo State.

Fubara said the SSS began investigation four months ago to trace the source of the “'worrisome fake naira currency in circulation in Kogi state to uncover those behind the act''.

''This operation took the service close to four months before a breakthrough resulting in the arrest of the 16-man syndicate led by Rev. Godson O. Akubuiro,” he said

Items recovered from the suspects include equipment and materials used in printing fake currencies, a large quantity of printed fake notes, cut to size blank currency notes and N1.3 million fake naira notes.

There were also photocopier machines and different colours of oil paints.

Akubuiro, admitted the crime before reporters, saying he was “an ordained man of God” until the devil overwhelmed him.

He admitted that he had been involved in the criminal activity since November 2012 in his house, along with his family members.

Akubuiro said he was not using the money for himself but in support of the less-privileged and the needy in his congregation.

He pleaded for leniency, saying men of God were often tempted like King David in the Bible, who though a man after God's heart, fell many times yet was pardoned by God.

Fubara urged the public to be wary of the fake naira notes in circulation and report suspects to security agents.