Somaliland police has arrested six people including Nigerians suspected to have been involving in making counterfeit money on Wednesday in Hargeisa town.
In a statement, Somaliland Commander of the Immigration Force, Brigadier General Mohamed Alin (Dayib) said the men had sneaked into Somaliland to get safe haven in the horn of African region.
Among the arrested suspects are five Nigerians and a man believed to be hailing from southern Somalia.
“Immigration forces caught the foreigners with assistance from the police and the Bank of Somaliland. They were in possession of paper for making money, chemicals, paper cutting, labelling, and chalk. Herbal and liquid medications, as well as other devices to aid their crime,” the commander said.
The commander confirmed that the forces recovered several mobile phones, fake United Nations employee badges as well as unspecified number of fake US dollars.
According Dhayib, the men are undergoing investigation at a police station in Hargeisa town.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Somaliland, Ali Ibrahim Jama (Baghdadi said men are part of a well-organized criminal network that was working to destabilize the country’s economy.
“They had all the necessary chemicals and paper to carry out their work, and they were looking for a considerable sum of money, but we thwarted their attempt. I can confirm that these men did not introduce any fake currency into the economy,” Jama said