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Imo: Again, Gunmen Invade Another Politician’s Home, Raze Down Houses, Vehicles

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The Source
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Nnaemeka Obiaraeri

By Charles Igbo

Dr Nnaemeka Obiaraeri, the Labour Party Candidate for the Imo House of Assembly, Okigwe Local Government Area, is a lucky fellow. He should be singing praises to God as he was saved from the hands of gunmen who invaded his country home at an uncivilised hour on Saturday.

This is as the activities of gunmen have, inexplicably, escalated in the State, a situation not a few people say is political.

In his absence, they set fire on his country home and vehicles, and razed them down. They, also, did not spare his father’s and uncle’s houses.

The gunmen invaded  in three vehicles, according to him.

In a statement signed, personally, Saturday morning, Dr Obiaraeri confirmed the attack and

blamed the  failure of the APC Governments for the  attack.

Obiaraeri: “Just got another share of the dreadful situation of insecurity in Nigeria.

“Gunmen went to my country home in Amagu Ihube to burn down my house and burn to ashes my functioning factory cars parked there, no doubt known to their supporters.

“They also demolished my father’s and my uncle’s homes. My elderly mother and siblings are in distress!

“Without anyone intervening, three Hilux vehicles filled with robbers and murderers set fire to homes and injured people.

“I have no idea who I insulted or why somebody would want to destroy me. I haven’t consumed anyone else’s fish or yam.

“The APC governments in Imo State and Aso Rock, Nigeria, have once again failed to uphold their oath of office to safeguard the lives and property of law-abiding Nigerians. Complete failure on the part of authorities.

“This further supports our appeal to Nigerians to choose their PVCs and participate in the election of Peter Obi and Datti Baba Ahmed of Nigeria’s Next President and Vice President will be chosen by the Labour Party.”

On Friday, gunmen invaded a Customary Court in Ejemekwuru, Oguta LGA, and shot dead the Judge, Nnaemeka Ugboma.

A couple of weeks back, they invaded the home of Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo, the House of Representatives Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, killed three people, and razed down his house and about 30 vehicles.

A few days later, they invaded the Arochukwu home of the Sole Administrator of the Ideato North Local Government Area, Chief Chris Ohizu,  burnt down his house, shot him on the leg and kidnapped him along with two others.

Two days later, after a ransome, to the tune of six million Naira, was paid, they beheaded him, videod the blood cuddling act with his phone, and posted it on the Social Media.

Fani Kayode Calls For The Arrest of  Emefiele, Says He Wants To Scuttle Election; Calls Him Dangerous

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The Source
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Femi Fani-Kayode

By Gideon Njoku

Femi Fani-Kayode, a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu, has called for the sack, arrest and detention of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele.

The APC chieftain described  Emefiele as a dangerous man whose plan is to cause chaos, and  scuttle the Presidential election along with other anti-democratic elements.

Fani-Kayode made this call in a series of tweets  in reaction to the crisis that has bedeviled Nigeria since the redesign of some denominations of the Naira and the swap.

His Principal, Tinubu, had more than hinted that the redesign policy of the Naira was targeted at the Presidential election, and by extention, at him to stop him from victory. He described the exercise as ill-timed, just as he said that the unending fuel scarcity is deliberate.

The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, in the past three days, has been agreeing with Tinubu’s opinion, blaming those he referred to as the cabal in the Aso Rock Vliia who are working against Tinubu for the debacle.

The crushing scarcity of the Naira has led  to excruciating suffering in the land. Fights have broken out in banking halls and at ATM and POS centres, and at least, three deaths have been reported.

At least ten people have stripped themselves naked in banking halls.

On Thursday, Emefiele said the CBN has ordered banks to start dispensing 20 thousand Naira only, per day, per person, of the new notes. But that has not helped. And is not being done in most banks.

On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari, after a meeting with the APC Governors Forum, asked for seven days to sort the problem out, and blamed “greediness” for the difficulties being experienced. The Governors  had appealed to him to allow the use of the old and new notes side-by-side to reduce the hardship people are going through.

But Fani-Kayode in his tweet, said Emefiele would never release the new notes until March. Meaning the release would be after the Presidential election. He, therefore, called for Emefiele’s arrest.

He tweeted: “Let me make this clear. Emefiele has NO intention of releasing new Naira notes until March. He wants people to suffer, he wants chaos, & he wants to scuttle the election.

“He is a dangerous pawn in the hands of sinister anti-democratic forces. Remove, arrest, & detain him NOW”!

Hardship In The Land: Yoruba Monarchs Bemoan Shortage Of Naira, Scarcity Of Petrol

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Traditional Rulers from Yoruba speaking areas of Nigeria have appealed to the Federal Government to ease the hardship being encountered by Nigerians in getting the new naira notes and petrol.

The monarchs, which cut across all South West states and some North Central states during their meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, declared that “we are using this medium to call on the government to urgently find immediate and lasting solution to the current hardship facing the entire people of Nigeria through the scarcity of petroleum products and non availability of new naira notes.”

In a communique released on Saturday, the traditional rulers, under the aegis of the Yoruba Obas’ Forum, after a meeting of its executives  in Ibadan, Oyo State on Friday 3rd February, 2023, condemned the continuous scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) due to the inability of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to address the situation for the past months.

The statement was released on their behalf by the administrator of the Forum, Oba (Dr) Michael Odunayo Ajayi, the Elerinmo of Erinmo.

It was jointly signed by the Molokun of Atijere, President of the Forum, Oba Samuel O. Adeoye, the General Secretary of the Forum and Olukotun of Ikotun-Ile, Oba. Dr Abdulrasaq Adebayo Abioye, the Forum PRO and Alayandelu of Odo-Ayandelu, Oba (Bldr) Asunmo Ganiyu Aderibigbe, the Forum’s Financial Secretary and Olasole of Lasole, Oba Dairo Jacob Olufayo, the Olujumu of Ijumu Kingdom, Oba Williams Olusegun Ayeni, the Ologijo of Ogijo, Oba Kazeem Gbadamosi, the Onileki of Lekki, Oba Liasim Olumuyiwa Ogunbekun and the Alagbado of Agbado, Oba Adedayo Shyllon Sogbulu.

In the statement, the traditional rulers also decried the current difficulties encountered by their people in getting the new naira notes as well as non availability of the currency while recommending immediate resolution by  government.

According to the Yoruba Obas “The current situation has forced traders to increased the price of their products while it has also affected commercial transportation which is bouncing back on the masses.

“Even the current situation has forced most traders to lock their shops due to their inability to trade and in a bid to avoid collecting the old notes, which were still largely in circulation.”

The Monarchs affirmed that the cash crunch has affected lots of Nigerians in the rural areas, whose major means of getting cash was through POS operators most of whom had now been squeezed out of business.

“Understanding that a vast majority of Nigerians operate in the informal sector doing petty trade and without the level of literacy to handle non cash transactions, this cash crunch has literarily shut their operations down with ripple effects on millions.”

They called on Federal government to be magnanimous and respond to the cries of the people by immediately reversing this policy by allowing the use of both new and old naira notes concurrently for a long while.

Similarly, the Yoruba Obas expressed their full support to shift power to the South in 2023 for fairness and equity after  eight years of Northern presidency.

They also  re-echoed the position of other prominent Nigerians that the power should be rotated between the North and the South, it is for the betterment of Nigeria.

They prayed for a smooth and peaceful election, urging the youths and other Nigerian people not to engage in acts of violence or contravene any laws of the country as election is not a do or die affair.

Anger Rises In Imo Over Murder Of Judge In Court, NBA, Boycotts Court; Sister Cries Out: “I Can’t Cope; I am Finished”

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The Source
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Nnaemeka Ugboma

By Charles Igbo

There is palpable anger in Imo State over the murder of a Customary Court Judge, Nnaemeka Ugboma, in the premises of his Court on Friday, February 3, 2023.

Ugboma, the Chairman of the Ejemekwuru Customary Court in Oguta Local Government Area, was gruesomely murdered in his Court’s premises after the Court session, just as he made to enter his car.

He was shot dead by gunmen who rode on motorcycles, and invaded his Court. An eye witness alleged that one of the gunmen pointed at him and identified him as their target, before they shot him on the head. He died on the spot.

In its reaction, a shocked Imo State Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, ordered a boycott of the Courts in the State by all its branches.

In a statement signed by the Chairmen of all its branches in the State, the NBA said the boycott would last for three days.

A devastated Ugboma’s younger sister, Chioma, a Senior Journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in a WhatsApp Platform, told her Colleagues: “I am finished. They murdered my elder brother just like that. I don’t know what to do. I cannot cope.”

Like most Imo people, the NBA is outraged by the gruesome murder of Ugboma. In a release, it said: “This dastardly act is highly condemnation as it desecrated the temple of justice and undermines the confidence of the citizens in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.”

The NBA’s statement read:

“The Branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in Imo State deplore the cold blooded murder of a judicial officer, His Worship Nnaemeka Ugboma, Esq., who was shot point blank in Court by yet to be identified gun men on the 2nd of February, 2023.

“On receipt of the news, the Owerri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association promptly engaged lawyers within the affected jurisdiction as well as staff of the affected court, who confirmed the incident.

“We also convened an emergency meeting and further contacted the heads of the judiciary, particularly the Chief Judge of Imo State and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State.

“The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, has also received a request from us for an immediate and thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the unfortunate incident and to ensure that the culprits are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law.

“The Imo Bar notes with deep concern that the attacks on judicial institutions have become a disturbing trend in Imo State, and has taken an unfortunate turn by the murder of Mr. Ugboma.

“This dastardly act is highly condemnable as it desecrates the temple of justice and undermines the confidence of the citizens in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

“The Bar therefore calls on the Imo State Government to provide, with immediate effect, security in and around all the courts in Imo State, which have remained porous despite the sensitive role they play in the society.

“The Imo Bar, in consonance with the national body of the NBA, ably led by Y.C. Maikyau, OON, SAN, firmly resists the attempt to undermine the judiciary and the legal profession, and instill fear in the conduct of judicial proceedings. Also, citizens need to be aware that judicial officers and lawyers are not their enemies or opponents; they only aid in the administration of justice.

“In the circumstance, the members of the NBA in Imo State have resolved to boycott all courts in Imo State, starting from Monday 6th February 2023 to Wednesday 8th February 2023, in order to register our displeasure with the current state of affairs.

“Until the members of the Bar in Imo State are sufficiently assured of the safety of the judiciary, the Bar and the litigants as requested, we shall continue to review the situation and to take further necessary actions.”

It was signed by:

*D. U. ALINNOR ESQ.

Chairman, NBA Owerri Branch.

*B. A. MUNONYE ESQ.

Chairman, NBA Orlu Branch

*AMBROSE UGBAJA ESQ.

Chairman, NBA Mbaise Branch

*E. A. OCHIONU ESQ.

Chairman, NBA Okigwe Branch

*CHIEF RICHARD ANYANWU

Chairman, NBA Mbano/Etiti Branch.

The late Ugboma was a 1991 Law graduate.

The Imo State Police Command has started a full investigation into the tragic incident. There has been no arrest yet, but the Police say the Command is on the trail of the assassins.

Gov El-Rufai: “Elements Working Against Tinubu In Aso Rock Villa Are Known Faces; Lai Mohammed Knows Them”

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

The Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has gone further on allegation that some elements in Aso Rock are not supporting the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in this month election.

Surprised that the Minister of information reacted to the allegation immediately, the Governor stated that Lai Mohammed, knows those he is referring to as ‘Aso Villa elements’ working against the ambition of Tinubu.

El-Rufai had on Wednesday alleged that some unnamed persons are working towards the failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election.

Responding to El-Rufai’s claim, Lai Mohammed, while addressing the State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last Wednesday, noted that the Presidency is unaware of those in its fold working against the APC.

According to the Minister, President Muhammadu Buhari is solidly behind Tinubu.

But the governor, in another interview on a television programme, maintained that the Information Minister knows the individual elements in the Villa that are working against the ruling party.

”Let me restate exactly what I said. What I said was that we are convinced that there are elements in the Villa that want APC to lose the elections.

“I did not say the Federal government. I did not say Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I said APC.

“So I don’t understand why the Federal government is responding to what I said because the Federal government is not part of it.

“I referred to elements in the Villa, and with the greatest respect, even Lai Mohammed knows who I am referring to.”

Ibadan Hardship Protest: One Dies As Soldiers Shoot At Protesters

By
Ayodele Oni
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Ibadan Naira Redesign Protest

By Ayodele Oni

The protest over Naira swap, which started in Ibadan, Oyo state on Friday, has taken a new dimension as some soldiers reportedly shot at some of the protesters on Saturday.

Report has it that there was pandemonium in the capital city of Oyo State, after some officers of the Nigerian Army reportedly fired gunshot at one of the youths protesting the fuel and naira notes scarcity in the city.

The development has reportedly caused tension in the city as residents scamper for safety.

The Soldiers  reportedly shot one of the youths who died instantly and another injured while protesting the fuel and naira notes scarcity in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Eyewitness report indicates that the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday.

The eyewitness explained that they only saw soldiers’ vehicles pass through Brent, and all they heard were gunshots.

“Everyone ran for their lives; some lay on the floor to prevent stray bullets.”

The eyewitness also revealed that a stray bullet hit a young man identified as Samuel, a commercial motorcyclist, who allegedly died instantly.

Another female casualty is presently receiving treatment at Lafia Hospital in the NNPC area.

The protests in Ibadan started Friday as residents trooped out to lament the current hardship in the country.

Many businesses have been grounded following the naira swap programme by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a means to easily take away from the public, the old N1000, N500 and N200 notes.

Access Bank: Kenyan Wins $50,000 Lagos City Marathon Prize

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Access Bank has further consolidated it’s position as a prime promoter of sports in Africa following the conclusion of the eight edition of the  Lagos City Marathon, won by Kenyan Edwin Kibet Koech.
Nigerian Felicia Adetutu also finished 10th in the women category on Saturday, thus becoming the first Nigerian to cross the finish line since the competition started eight years ago.
As the winner of the event, the Kenyan  long distant  runner will go home with $50,000 according to details provided by the organisers of the yearly event.
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He beat about 300 marathoners on Saturday morning to win the 42km race.
He finished at 2 hours, 14 minutes and six seconds to best Alemayehu Lemma of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Bernard Sang who finished second and third respectively, and will go home with $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.
Alemenseh Guta of Ethiopia was the first woman to cross the finish line, followed in second place by Kebene Urisa and Kenya’s Naomi Maiyo in third place.
The winners of both the men and women’s races qualified for marathon event in next year’s Olympic event.
The 42km race began at the National Stadium in Surulere and ended at the Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island.
The annual event was recently upgraded by the world athletics body to a gold label; less than eight years after its started.
The sport event has been widely applauded as one of the ways Access Bank is promoting sports in the continent.

Obi Returns To S/East, Says ‘A New Prosperous Nigeria Is Due To Happen’

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The Source
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Peter Obi in South East

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, took his nationwide campaign to two states of the South East, Abia and Ebonyi states on Friday, declaring to the enthusiastic and organic crowd of various segments of the society that a New Prosperous Nigeria is coming and due to happen if he is voted into power.

Obi and his Obidient train had arrived Aba, Abia state’s commercial hub in the morning and ran into an ambush of youths who could not even allow him enter the city as they wanted to hear from him on the way.

Obi who had hectic day managing the obviously excited youths had to use the open roof of the vehicle to address them and they walked along escorting him to the rally venue on a slow convoy singing ‘Obi Ka anyi ge eso’( Obi is our choice) choruses.

interestingly, while Obi was in Abia addressing various stakeholders, traditional rulers, youths and women in town hall meetings and rallies, other jubilant crowds were in a neighboring state of Ebonyi dancing and waiting to catch a glimpse of the man of the moment.

The LP Presidential flag bearer message in the two states was reassuring, that a new and prosperous Nigeria is possible but the people must collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and go out in their numbers to vote out those holding Nigeria down.

Obi painted the sorry state of Nigeria today, stating that the situation makes the forthcoming election a make or mar one because now is the time to take the country and rebuild it.

According to him, if elected, he will invest massively in infrastructure, education and health for proper foundation for national development of pulling the people out of poverty.

He noted that commercial viability of Aba and the agricultural potentials of Abakaliki have remained untapped but he and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed are coming to unlock all the potentials across the country for greater good of every citizen.

The former Anambra state Governor assured the people of Abia and Ebonyi states and indeed the South East region that security is top in his agenda and he intends to tackle it from the root by addressing the injustice and unemployment situation through his consumption to production policies.

He reiterated his message to the people that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere and he and Datti if elected tend to run an administration of equal opportunity for all.

Obi told the people to look out for credible leaders they can trust, those who can keep and manage the people’s commonwealths for the good of all.

Obi said: “Datti and I are from the private sector and have managed public fund. My records in Anambra state where I served for eight years are all verifiable.

“I urge you to ask questions about who you want to entrust your future in their hands. What is their name? Which school did they attend? Where are they from? How did they fair in their previous responsibilities?”

Obi was full of appreciation for the massive show of love from the people in the two states, urging them to collect their PVCs and ensure that their heart’s desire is met on February 25, 2023 by coming out to vote.

The Cabal Has Been Misadvising Buhari – Governor El-Rufai; Says Battleline Drawn

By
The Source
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0

By Gideon Njoku

The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari has been a victim of those he called “The Cabal”, who he claims have been misadviding and misleading the President. “We shall show them. We have drawn the battle line”, he said.

In the past two days, El-Rufai has been hitting at  everywhere and everybody below the belt. He has accused some elements in the Presidency of working against the victory of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, but said they will be dealth with. He has attacked the policies of the Buhari administration, especially the new Naira design as ill-timed and targeted against the General Elections. He has also said that the masses are the ones suffering the scarcity of the Naira and not the Governors and Politicians and top businessmen who already have the new Naira notes stashed away. He revealed that while the masses cry, an unnamed Governor withdrew the sum of N500 million of the new Naira notes from a bank.

Now, in an interview he granted to the BBC Hausa Service, Friday, the Governor has revealed that members of the Cabal in Aso Rock have been misadvising the President.

The Cabal, he said, is working hand in hand with Northern elders against power shift to the South.

But, he quickly dismissed the Northern Elders as empty and of no use, explaining that power does not reside on them, but on  the Governors in the North. He said the Elders have no powers,  at all, to influence the voting pattern in the North. “The real elders who can swing votes are the 19 (APC) Governors in the North”, he said.

He  promised to unmask the identities of those in Aso Rock and their collaborators working against the electoral victory of the APC.

Governor el-Rufai:

“All these conspiracies and hypocrisy is by people of the North. They want to portray us as ungrateful people especially, we the Northern governors advocating for power shift to the South and support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

When asked who are the Northern people responsible for the conspiracy, el-Rufai said he won’t mention any name now, but, however, added that it does not mean they were afraid of anyone either, but just respecting deserving elders only.

Tackling them, he said:

“The Cabal has been responsible for ill-advising President Muhammadu Buhari for some time now while the same people are the ones benefiting from the ruling APC. We will stop them soon.

“Let me tell you, with all these sabotage and conspiracies, this coming 2023 election, by the grace of God, we have already won. Because God knows our hearts, He knows our plans for Nigeria, He knows our plans for Northern Nigeria, so that we can show the people of Southern Nigeria that we are not ungrateful people and that we return good deed with good deed because Asiwaju has done good us.

“Leave those people they call elders. I am 62 year-old now, I will be 63 later this month. That was the same age Prophet Muhammad (SAW) finished his work and died. I am also an elder, nobody will tell me he is an elder. If you see me kneeling down to greet anyone, it’s because of respect and that’s what I do for Baba Buhari, but tell me if you ever see me doing same for others older than him. I know a real elder and I know the bad one.

“I am 63 too, I have children and grandchildren, I am also an elder. So, who are the Northern elders? They should come out and contest elections. I was elected twice. Those claiming to be elders, ask them if they had ever contested for any election, even councilorship position. They are liars, it’s we the Northern Governors that are the Northern elders and leaders of the region.

“The battleline has been drawn, we are determined, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be the next President, and we will disgrace them.”

Naira Scarcity: Bank Managers Arrested For Hoarding, Sabotage

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Two bank managers have been arrested in Osogbo by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over their failure to load their bank’s ATM s with the new naira notes.
Their arrest came barely 48hours after Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor said the apex bank was working with security agencies to deal with bank officials trying to frustrate it’s efforts to make the new Banknotes available to the public, following outrage that the currency was being deliberately hoarded by top bank some unscrupulous banks’ officials.
On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari also accused some banks of deliberately working against CBN, during his meeting with 36 state governors in Abuja.
In a statement on Friday by Azuka Ogugua, the ICPC spokesperson, the commission said the cash bundles were loaded into the ATMs while still wrapped, and as such, could not be dispensed through the machines.
“The ICPC Compliance Team in Osogbo has busted an FCMB in Osogbo, Osun State, where some ATMs were loaded with cash with their wrappers un-removed, thus preventing the cash from being dispensed,” the statement reads.
“The Team therefore directed that the wrappers be removed, and the cash loaded properly.
“However, when a follow-up visit was undertaken the following day to ascertain the level of compliance, the Team discovered that one of the ATMs was still loaded with the wrappers un-removed. The Operation Manager of the Bank was arrested and taken in for questioning.”
The commission said the branch service head of Stanbic IBTC Bank in Deidei, Abuja, was taken into custody over the “deliberate refusal to upload cash into the branch’s Automated Teller Machines (ATM) even when the cash was available, and people were queuing at the ATMs”.
“When the ICPC monitoring team stormed the bank at about 1:30pm to ensure compliance, and demanded explanation as to why all the ATMs were not dispensing cash, it was informed by the branch’s Head of Operations that the bank just got delivery of the cash,” the commission said.
“However, facts available to the ICPC operatives indicated that the branch took delivery of the cash around 11:58am and either willfully or maliciously refused to feed the ATMs with the cash.
“Against this backdrop, the ICPC team compelled the bank to load the ATMs with the redesigned Naira notes and ensured that they were all dispensing before arresting the culprit.
“Investigations are still ongoing, and the Commission will take appropriate actions as soon they are concluded.”
Seven Point of Sale (POS) operators and a security guard were also said to have been arrested in Osun state over alleged extortion of residents.
The ICPC said a probe into the activities of the POS operators revealed that they got the cash from filling stations, “but they then resell the cash to the public at exorbitant rates”.
“The arrested persons are helping the Commission with information to assist investigations and bust any syndicates involved in the hoarding or sales of the redesigned notes,” ICPC added.
President Buhari during his meeting with governors today, begged Nigerians to give him seven days to resolve the naira crisis.
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