March 5, 2024

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

The convicts are: Asmau Sallah Wuraola, Owoduni Abdullahi Isa (a.k.a Bolaji) and Shuaibu Rukayat.

They were jailed on Monday, March 4, 2024 after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges upon being arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The 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”.

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them.

Following the pleas of the defendants, prosecuting counsel, Innocent Mbachie reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered as evidence new naira notes recovered from them at the point of arrest.

They were all admitted in evidence. He further prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Delivering judgment, Justice Anyadike pronounced the defendants guilty and sentenced them to various jail terms. She sentenced Wuraola to two months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) only.

The court ordered that the sum of N1,020,000 (One Million and Twenty Thousand Naira) only 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 on the other hand was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) only while the sum of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) only recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The Judge also sentenced Rukayat to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Nair) only while the sum of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government.

All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC for currency racketeering. They were prosecuted and convicted.