Vigilant personnel of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have intercepted fake financial instruments worth N13.65bn in the first nine months of the year.
The Postmaster General of the Federation, Mallam Ibrahim Baba, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on activities of the NIPOST in a ceremony to mark the 2014 World Post Day.
During this period 159 scam letters containing counterfeit financial instruments and other prohibited items were intercepted.
Of the counterfeit financial instruments seized by NIPOST, the institution said 17 mails worth N149,891,400 were intercepted in January; 66 worth N8,439,690 in February; 18 worth N159,654,963 in March; and 26 worth N118,329,017.36 in May.
Others include 32 mails worth N11,481,408,130.40 in June; four worth N672,632,019 in July; four worth N229,240,200.16 in August; and two worth N757,525,422.16 in the month of September.
According to the NIPOST boss, the major destinations of the counterfeit mails were Britain and the United States. He explained that the two countries had been extending assistance to the postal organization to control the transmission of counterfeit mails.