EFCC Arraigns Bankers for Alleged Currency Racketeering in Enugu
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu Zonal Directorate, on Thursday, December 12, 2024, arraigned Ekpe Anayaoha Okoronkwo and Umeonuoha Onyinye, employees of a new generation bank, before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, Enugu, for alleged involvement in currency racketeering.
The bankers were accused of selling newly-minted N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in N200 denominations, an act contrary to Section 21 (4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the same Act.
The charge against the duo reads:
“That you, Ekpe Anayaoha Okoronkwo and Umeonuoha Onyinye, sometime in October 2024 at Enugu, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did sell a total sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00) mints in Two Hundred Naira Notes (N200) denominations, issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, to one Husseini Ibrahim and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21 (4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the same Act.”
Plea and Court Proceedings
During the arraignment, the first defendant, Okoronkwo, pleaded guilty, while the second defendant, Onyinye, pleaded not guilty.
The EFCC’s counsel, Chief Superintendent of the EFCC (CSE) Rotimi Ajobiewe, requested a short adjournment to review the facts of the case for the first defendant’s conviction and sentencing. He also sought a trial date for the second defendant.
In response, Onyinye’s counsel, C. N. Agama, requested that she be remanded in EFCC custody pending her bail application.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar adjourned the case to January 15, 2025, for the hearing of Onyinye’s bail application and the sentencing of Okoronkwo. Both defendants were remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility.
Arrest and Investigation
The defendants were arrested on November 15, 2024, at their workplace on 18 Okpara Avenue, Enugu State, following actionable intelligence implicating them in currency racketeering.
Investigations revealed that the pair allegedly sold N500,000 worth of newly-minted N200 notes to a buyer identified as Husseini Ibrahim.
