A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced two currency hawkers to six months in prison each after they pleaded guilty to illegally trading in Nigerian currency.
The two defendants, Mutairu Omowunmi Tawa and Faith Chukwujeku, were arrested in Lagos on July 25 over separate cases involving the unlawful trading of naira notes.
Tawa was arrested at an event centre while allegedly selling and trading ₦850,000. She was subsequently charged and convicted under the relevant provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act after admitting to the offence.
Chukwujeku was also arrested on the same day for allegedly hawking ₦1.3 million in ₦200 denominations. She pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted under the same law.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecutor urged the court to impose the appropriate punishment in line with the law.
The court consequently sentenced each of the women to six months in prison. However, they were given the option of paying a ₦50,000 fine instead of serving the prison term.
The court further ordered that the naira notes recovered from both defendants be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The cases were investigated and prosecuted by the anti fraud agency, which brought the defendants before the court after their arrests.
The convictions come amid efforts by relevant authorities to curb the unauthorised trading and abuse of the Nigerian currency.
