The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said many celebrities are facing investigations and will soon be prosecuted for naira abuse.
The commission said this in a statement days after securing the conviction of popular crossdresser, Bobrisky, jailed for the same crime on Friday.
Vowing that no one found culpable will be spared, the commission said it “will not relent in its no-sacred-cow mode of operations, and the public should be wary of running afoul of laws against the crime.”
Since the arrest of Bobrisky, whose real name is Idris Okunneye, earlier this month, many Nigerians on social media platforms have tagged the EFCC in various posts of video clips capturing apparently worse cases of naira abuse by other celebrities.
The EFCC acknowledged a surge in the sharing of old and new video clips of such naira abuse in the statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Sunday.
It said some celebrities, whose identities it did not disclose, had been invited for investigations and made useful statements.
“Increasingly, members of the public are drawing the attention of the Commission to video recording of abuse of the Naira by Nigerians from all walks of life,” the statement said.
It added, “These gestures amply demonstrate rising consciousness of the public to the sanctity of our national currency and the need for collaborative engagement to sustain the tempo.
“To this end, the Commission will always investigate and prosecute anyone involved in the abuse of the Naira. Old videos being exhumed and flying around for the attention of the Commission are noted as the Commission is sensitive to the fact that its Special Task Force against Naira Abuse and Dollarization of the economy commenced operations on February 7, 2024. However, going forward, new videos of such infractions will be investigated and prosecuted.
“At the moment, the Commission is investigating several celebrities involved in Naira abuse. Many of them have made useful statements to the Commission and many more have been invited by investigators working on the matter.”
(Premium Times)
