The Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has ordered banks to distribute the new naira notes via ATMs and banking halls or risk losing their lands.
The ICPC detained Abuja bank executives in Dei Dei for storing funds.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is investigating actress and cosmetologist Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin for allegedly tampering with the redesigned naira notes, which violates Section 21 (5) of the CBN Act, 2007.
The Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said that the naira shortage could de-market the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming elections and appealed on President Muhammadu Buhari to fix the situation before it escalates.
After visiting banks in Maiduguri, the state capital, Zulum issued the warning Wednesday.
“Any Borno State bank hesitant to ensure their ATMs are completely dispensing new naira notes cash to ameliorate our people’s suffering would lose their property title immediately. Zulum said only banks with verified limitations will be spared.
He was upset to observe hundreds of people waiting at a bank location with only one out of 10 ATMs delivering cash.
As you can see, only the poor are waiting. No rich folks here. Many have been here since 3:00 am, some without food. The governor claimed the lack of the new and old naira notes is hurting commercial activity in the state and hurting people.
He added: “We just released wages of about N5 billion, and the banks don’t have money; certain ATMs are not operating. He asked, “Why can’t everyone withdraw N20,000?”
“Yesterday, I was in Gubio with almost 70,000 people, but the entire local government could not find N100,000, either new or old. “Individuals are anxious for cash, and some nasty rich people are coming to remote places to exploit poor people,” Zulum said.
The governor urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to guarantee commercial banks have replacement notes for customers to access their money.
“I have visited more than 10 ATMs in Borno State, and there’s no cash,” Zulum stated.
Yesterday, ICPC detained bank personnel in Dei Dei, Abuja, for hoarding naira notes.
The commission stated that bank staff who refused to fill the machines despite having cash were forced to do so.
It said the measure was part of its crackdown on groups hindering public access to the new naira notes.
The branch service head of the Deidei Branch of the bank was arrested for refusing to upload cash into the ATM even though there was money and customers were waiting.
The ICPC found that the branch gave the cash around 11:58 am and refused to feed the ATMs.
The statement claimed the commission will act after investigations were completed.
In a separate incident, the ICPC Compliance Team in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, broke another bank where some ATMs were stocked with cash but had their wrappers left on.
Thus, the team guided the removal of wrappers and the loading of cash correctly.
The following day, the crew found one ATM with unremoved wrappers during a compliance check.
Bank operations manager was arrested and questioned.
During the Osun State exercise, seven POS operators and a security guard were arrested for demanding high cash charges.
They received the money from filling stations that collected new notes from fuel purchasers and resold it at excessive rates, according to investigations.
The statement stated the arrested people are aiding the commission with information to break syndicates storing or selling the altered notes.
The EFCC is also investigating actress and cosmetologist Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin for allegedly tampering with the redesigned naira notes, a violation of Section 21 (5) of the CBN Act, 2007.
Following an intelligence tip, ICPC agents detained Omoseyin on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi, Lagos, on February 1, 2023.
After a party video showing her spraying and stepping on the newly redesigned naira notes went viral, the 31-year-old was detained.
She also displayed new naira notes in the popular video.
On February 2, 2023, the EFCC received the suspect for further investigation.
Akeredolu urged President Buhari to address naira scarcity before it escalates.
In a signed statement, Akeredolu said the naira and petrol shortage had forced the people to suffer.
“Nigerians are virtually buying the country’s money to feed when we are not in a state of war,” the governor said in ‘The President Must Intervene, Decisively on the Crisis of Distribution of Petrol and Currency Notes’.
He said these terrible developments are already damaging the federal government’s goodwill following seven years of calm.
Akeredolu blamed dishonest people for fuel and new naira note shortages.
“The difficulties and outright clashes recorded in banking halls, ATM and PoS locations, and markets around the country are worrisome.
Commoners suffer. Depositors cannot use their funds to feed their families. Monetarists don’t expect hunger. However, the plight of the disadvantaged must be considered. Most Nigerians are suffering under these circumstances.
“There is pervasive unhappiness in the land, and unless some immediate restorative efforts are made to mitigate the crippling effects of apparent desultory and casual disturbances of their typical simple existence, a succession of events with bad repercussions are imminent.
Deplorable is a scenario that allows a few to inflict harm on the population without restraint. Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, must explain the new monetary policy. When we’re not at war, Nigerians virtually buy the currency to feed. The fact that the ruling party expects to present candidates for the general elections in the coming weeks raises suspicions that certain groups may have interests that conflict with the public aspirations of the party and its dedicated members.
This rigorous execution of a poisonous motive de-markets a brand better than anything else. He said the president and federal government must act now.
