The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has successfully secured a conviction for one Ibrahim Musa Dabai before Justice M.N Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Kano, Kano State, over a one-count charge bordering on tampering with Nigerian currency.
Mr Dabai was arrested by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with coins which he claimed he uses to produce jewelry for commercial purposes. He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the convict stated that he has been in the business of converting coins into jewelry, such as rings, earrings, bracelets, and others, for 25 years.
The charge against him 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 wit: coins issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria when you used the same to produce jewelry for commercial purposes and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007”.
Despite pleading guilty, Mr Dabai was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment or a fine of N30,000 by Justice Yunusa. In addition, the mutilated currency is to be returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for destruction according to the provisions of the CBN Act, 2007.
The alteration of legal tender to create merchandise or artwork for personal or commercial gain is criminal in Nigeria. The conviction of Mr Dabai has set a precedent and serves as a warning to artisans who indulge in similar acts.
