Security operatives in a combined operation with officials of Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday arrested 13 women hawking mint naira notes in various parts of Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
A sum of N2,937,430 consisting of various denominations of naira notes were recovered from the suspects who are currently being held at the State CID, according to Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nnamdi Omoni.
The Police spokesperson said that the sting operation, which was carried out in line with the provisions of Sections 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act (2007), was aimed at checking illicit sale of the Naira notes.
He said that investigations had commenced to ascertain the sources of the new naira notes.
According to him, the operation would be a continuous exercise by the relevant Security Agencies with a view to clamping down on persons illegally trading in the nation’s legal tender, punishable under the extant CBN Act with a jail term of not less than six months or a fine of not less than N 50,000 or both.
“The acts of spraying the naira notes at occasions, soiling and writing on them, mutilation, squeezing, as well as hawking and selling the Naira notes, are forms of abuses of the Naira as such should be discouraged by all.”
Omoni called on Nigerians to respect the Naira note in all ramifications as it remained one of the symbols of the country’s national identity.
The Police noted that Section 20 (4) of the CBN Act (2007) makes it an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment not less than 5 years for any person to falsify, make or counterfeit any Bank note or coin issued by the Bank which is a legal tender in Nigeria while Section 21(1), makes it an offence punishable for any person to hawk, sell, or trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.