From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has ordered the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to arrest and prosecute persons engaged in the sale and abuse of the redesigned Naira notes.
The IGP has equally charged all supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, state Commissioners of police and Formations to carry out full enforcement of the provisions of Sections 20 and 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which criminalises amongst other things, the hawking, selling or otherwise trading, spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira notes.
They have also been directed to arrest persons falsifying or counterfeiting bank notes, refusal to accept the Naira as a means of payment, tampering with the coin or note issued by the CBN among other directives.
The IGP, who gave the order in Abuja, 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. He urged everyone 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.