JUST IN: EFCC Arraigns Bankers for Alleged Currency Racketeering
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Enugu Zonal Directorate on December 12, 2024, arraigned two bankers, Ekpe Anayaoha Okoronkwo and Umeonuoha Onyinye, before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Enugu.
They faced a one-count charge of currency racketeering for allegedly selling newly-minted N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in N200 denominations.
The charge stated that the defendants, in October 2024, sold the money to Husseini Ibrahim in Enugu, an act in violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007. Okoronkwo pleaded guilty to the charge, while Onyinye denied the allegation.
Following their pleas, EFCC counsel CSE Rotimi Ajobiewe requested a short date for fact review and sentencing for Okoronkwo, while seeking a trial date for Onyinye. Onyinye’s defense lawyer, C.N. Agama, requested that his client be remanded in EFCC custody pending a bail hearing.
Justice Umar adjourned the case to January 15, 2025, for Onyinye’s bail application and Okoronkwo’s sentencing. Both defendants were remanded in Enugu State Correctional Facility.
The defendants were arrested on November 15, 2024, after investigations revealed they were involved in the sale of Naira mints in Enugu.
