The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau to take urgent steps to arrest and prosecute those involved in the sale and abuse of the Naira.
The IGP orders the DIG, the AIG and the various commissioners of police in charge of the commands to ensure enforcement of the CBN Act 2007 and dignify the Naira.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Friday that the IGP issued the order to the DIG, AIG and the police commissioners to deploy detectives to “carry out the arrest and subsequent prosecution of all individuals engaged in the sale or abuse of the Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Olumuyiwa said that the IGP also directed the top hierarchy of the force to ensure strict enforcement of Sections 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, which makes it an offence to trade and abuse the Naira.
“The IGP has similarly charged all supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police in charge of Police Commands and Formations to carry out full enforcement of the provisions of Sections 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 which criminalizes amongst other things the hawking, selling or otherwise trading, spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira notes, falsifying or counterfeiting of bank notes, refusal to accept the Naira as a means of payment, tampering with the coin or note issued by the CBN.
“The Inspector-General of Police reiterated the mandate of the Nigeria Police Force to enforce all laws and regulations without any prejudice to the enabling Acts of other security agencies and urged all and sundry to cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force as it brings the long arm of the law to bear upon all violators of the provisions of the CBN Act, and other extant statutes in Nigeria, with a view to having a well-policed society in all ramifications within the country.” He added
There are strong indications that the President Muhammadu Buhari may have instructed security agencies to go after those sabotaging the implementation of the new policy of the redesign of the Naira.
The President on Friday urged Nigerians to give him seven days to resolve the cash crunch that has become a problem across the country from the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria to change high value Naira notes with new ones.
He believes that the commercial banks in the country are spearheading the widespread sabotage of the policy of the new notes.
Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves”, said the President, “even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed won’t go away.” Buhari said shortly after a meeting with APC governors who met with him on the need to extend the deadline.