Machalla Baleri, a notorious terrorist leader, was seen in a viral video displaying wads of new naira notes amid a naira scarcity.
While most banking halls were empty due to a lack of funds in bank vaults, large crowds had formed outside some of the few banks that were rumored to be preparing to load their Automated Teller Machines.
However, the bandit leader claimed in an unverified video posted online on Wednesday that he had had enough of the new naira notes.
Baleri, who spoke in Hausa in the two-and-a-half-minute video clip, claimed to have up to N10 million in new naira notes.
He also claimed to have sufficient new naira notes to purchase more weapons. The new naira notes in his possession were ransom he allegedly received from relatives of abductees, according to some defence blogs.
The military high command also placed a N5m bounty on each of them to encourage Nigerians to volunteer information that could lead to their arrest.
A former Director, Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, confirmed the authenticity of the list to our correspondent in November. Also, the DHQ urged the public to provide information that could lead to the arrest of Kachalla and others.
However, in the viral video seen by our correspondent on Thursday, Kachalla and his gang members who spoke in the Hausa language, could be seen displaying some currency notes.
Posting the video on Thursday morning, a defence blogger, with the Twitter handle @Edrees4P, tweeted, “Short video clip of a terrorist leader Baleri displaying new naira notes claiming that he has more than enough to buy more weapons.”
Also, posting a photo of Baleri, a defence blog, @DefenceTimesNG tweeted, “Scarcity of Naira: Notorious bandit leader Kachalla Baleri release video clip displaying new naira notes he received from N10million naira ransom in N200, N500, N1000 denominations.”
Prime9jaOnline learnt that the leader of the bandits, who raided Azara, Janjala and Kadara communities in Kaduna State on December 12, 2022, and kidnapped 37 people, asked the relatives of the victims to return the old naira notes when they brought them for ransom payment.
Instead, he requested foodstuff, drugs and wine before freeing two nursing mothers and three men among the abducted 11 people from Azara community in Kachia LGA.