Afrigather The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) has mentioned it’ll arrest and prosecute anybody that abuses the naira, stating that its process drive against naira abuse and dollarisation of the financial system began operations on February 7 this yr.
The Fee, in an announcement on its X account on Sunday, affirmed that investigations have been ongoing with regard to movies making the rounds the place Nigerians have been seen at completely different instances abusing the naira.
“The Fee will all the time examine and prosecute anybody concerned within the abuse of the Naira. Previous movies being exhumed and flying round for the eye of the Fee are famous because the Fee is delicate to the truth that its Particular Activity Power towards Naira Abuse and Dollarization of the financial system commenced operations on February 7, 2024,” EFCC mentioned.
“Nevertheless, going ahead, new movies of such infractions will likely be investigated and prosecuted,” it added.
This submit comes amid a collection of commentaries towards the Fee, notably on the arrest and consequent conviction of a controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, often known as Bobrisky.
Okuneye was arrested on the idea of spraying cash at completely different instances which falls underneath the abuse of the nationwide foreign money and was due to this fact sentenced to six-month imprisonment with option of no fine final Friday.
This has led to folks on the web exhuming movies the place Nigerians have been flagrantly abusing the naira, calling the eye of the EFCC to make an arrest.
The Fee, nonetheless, famous that by digging out outdated movies of instances of naira abuse, the general public have gotten extra conscious of the regulation that negates such acts, urging Nigerians for extra collaborative efforts to maintain the momentum.
“More and more, members of the general public are drawing the eye of the Fee to video recording of abuse of the Naira by Nigerians from all walks of life.
“These gestures amply reveal rising consciousness of the general public to the sanctity of our nationwide foreign money and the necessity for collaborative engagement to maintain the tempo,” the Fee acknowledged.
The anti-graft company mentioned that it has begun investigations on celebrities concerned in naira abuse, stating that it will not relent on its “no-sacred-cow mode of operations” whereas urging Nigerians to keep away from falling into the dangerous facet of the regulation.
