Police nab eight suspects over alleged illicit sale of Naira in Edo

The Police Command in Edo has arrested seven suspects in connection with illicit sale of Nigerian currency.

The state Commissioner of Police (CP), Johnson Kokumo, disclosed this on Friday in Benin while briefing newsmen on the command’s enforcement of the presidential order prohibiting illicit sale of the Nigerian legal tender.

Kokumo said the suspects including two females were arrested in various parts of the state capital with more than N12 million Nigerian currency notes which were allegedly for sale.

He also said that about N46,200 counterfeited currency was found in possession of the suspects.

The CP said that Section 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Acts No 7 of 2007 made the sale of Nigerian legal tender illegal.

The commissioner said that the arrests were made by the command in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the CBN in an operation aimed at forestalling the illicit act.

He said the clamp-down on the naira notes vendors/sellers was a continuous exercise until the practice was completely wiped out from the system.

Kokumo advised those engaged in the act at any occasions for the purpose of spraying money on other people to desist from doing so.

He reiterated that proactive measures had been put in place to ensure the protection of lives and property in the state especially during the “ember” months.