Two individuals arraigned by EFCC for currency racketeering in Enugu
Charged before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Enugu State, Nweke Daniel Kelechi and Iroude Chibuzor are facing allegations of operating a bureau de change business without proper authorization and engaging in currency racketeering.
After conducting surveillance and gathering intelligence, the Enugu Zonal Command of the EFCC apprehended the defendants following a sting operation near the United Bank for Africa (UBA) branch in ESBS, Enugu State.
Initially, Chibuzor was apprehended during the sting operation, but further investigations revealed that he was acting under the instructions of Kelechi, who had authorized the selling of new Naira notes.
The charge brought against them alleges that in May 2024, at the Amadeo Event Centre, Oatlands Hotel in Enugu, the defendants hawked a total of Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N850,000.00) in denominations of Five Hundred Naira (N500.00), Two Hundred Naira (N200.00), and One Hundred Naira (N100.00) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. This act is said to be in violation of Section 21 (4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, punishable under Section 21 (1) of the same Act.
Upon hearing the charge, they both pleaded “not guilty.”
Following their pleas, Counsel for the EFCC, Michael Ikechukwu Ani, requested a trial date and for the defendants to be held in custody at the Enugu State Correctional facility.
The defense counsel, Nnaedozie Emmanuel, mentioned a pending bail application for his clients but was unable to proceed with it during the hearing.
The case was adjourned to June 6, 2024, for the bail application hearing, and in the meantime, the defendants were remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility.