The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Kaduna Zonal Command has secured the conviction of a jeweler, Ibrahim Dabai, at the Federal High Court sitting in Kano State before Justice M.N Yunusa.
Dabai was convicted on a charge bordering on tampering with Nigerian currency.
He was arrested by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with coins which he claims he uses to produce jewellery for commercial purposes and was handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
The charge partly reads, “that you, Ibrahim Musa Dabai, sometime in March 2023 at Kano, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, voluntarily engaged in tampering with Nigerian currency to with coins issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria when you used same to produce jewelry for commercial purpose and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge against him During court proceedings, the EFCC prosecution counsel, N. Salele urged the court to convict the defendant accordingly.
Justice Yunusa, convicted and sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment or a fine of N30,000.
He added that the mutilated currency was to be returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria for destruction according to the provisions of the CBN Act, 2007.