Three Persons jailed in Kwara over currency racketeering

VOICE AIR MEDIA, News Update

Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted and sentenced three currency racketeers to various jail terms for selling new naira notes to the public for commercial purposes.

This was contained in a statement on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Facebook page on Monday.

The convicts are Asmau Sallah Wuraola, Owoduni Abdullahi Isa and Shuaibu Rukayat.

They were jailed on Monday, March 4, 2024 after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on currency racketeering upon being arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the commission.

The count charge against Wuraola reads: “That you, Asmau Salah Wuraola, on the 17th day of February, 2024, at Arca Santa Event Center in Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, did trade in Naira Notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an Offence Contrary to Section 21 (4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the same Act”.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges read to them.

Based on their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Innocent Mbachie, reviewed the facts of the cases and prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice Anyadike convicted and sentenced Wuraola to two months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000.

The court also ordered that the sum of N1,020,000 recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government while the POS machine recovered at the point of arrest be destroyed by the EFCC.

Isa and Rukayat were sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000.