The National Orientation Agency, NOA, Akwa Ibom State Directorate, has raised the alarm over the circulation of fake N1,000 notes in the riverine communities of the state.
In a press release issued on Friday by the agency’s spokesperson, Jackson Ibok, NOA listed the coastal communities where the fake notes are predominantly in circulation as Udung Uko, Mbo, Oron, Okobo and Ibeno.
The statement noted that the State Director of NOA, Mkpoutom Mkpoutom, acting on intelligence, confirmed that the act is being carried out by syndicates who flood local markets with counterfeit notes, defrauding unsuspecting POS operators and other traders.
According to him, “they flood the local markets with fake One Thousand Naira notes with batch numbers 364232 and 898248 with blurred portrait, watermarks and irregular security features.”
Mkpoutom, describing the act as unpatriotic and heinous, said it has the potential to distort the economy.
He appealed to the public to be vigilant and to co‑operate with security agencies, who, he said, are doing their best to bring the culprits to book.
