Segun Atanda/
After issuing several warnings, the police and officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria have swooped on people allegedly abusing the Naira in Ogun State.
According to Ogun police spokesman, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, five persons were captured in various parts of the state for hawking and selling Naira notes this weekend.
Oyeyemi identified the suspects as: Toyin Alegbe, Kehinde Akinbode, Shoneye Latifat, Kehinde Olanrewaju and Iyanuoluwa Shokunbi.
He said that they were arrested in Ijebu Ode, Sagamu and Abeokuta areas of the state “during a sting operation jointly carried out by police operatives of Ogun State police command and officials of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th of April 2018”.
Oyeyemi added that the operation was in line with the provisions of section 21(1) of the CBN act 2007, which made hawking, selling and abuse of Naira a punishable offence.
“Various denominations of Naira notes totalling 1,560,000 were recovered from the suspects who were publicly exhibiting their illicit trades,” he said.
Oyeyemi told NewsmakersNG in his statement that the Commissioner of Police (CP) Mr Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, Aminu Alhassan, to commence full scale investigation into the activities of the suspects.
The CP has further warned members of the public to desist “from any act capable of soiling, abusing or destroying the Naira which is one of the symbols of our national identity. The CP therefore expressed his readiness to work with all government agencies to stamp out crime and criminality in the state”.
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