Nigerians are mounting pressure on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute former Niger Delta militant, Government Tompolo and the sons of billionaire businessman, Okoya for abusing the naira.
These demands come a day after the Federal High Court in Ikoyi has sentenced Nigerian artiste, Babatunde Peter Olaitan, also known as Tee Dollar, and a content creator, Tobilola Olamide, a.k.a. Tobi Nation, to six months in prison for naira abuse, reports The Guardian.
Tee Dollar and Tobi Nation were arraigned for spraying N200 denominations of naira notes at a party and tampering with the currency.
They both pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to prison.
An investigative officer of the EFCC, Ibrahim Bukar, told the court that the Commission generated an intelligence-driven investigation on TikTok, where TDollar was seen spraying Naira notes.
‘When will you arrest Okoya’s sons, Tompolo?’ Nigerians ask
Following their conviction, many Nigerians have asked the anti-graft agency when it would secure the arrest of Okoya’s sons whose videos went viral for spraying naira notes earlier this year.
The sons of the businessman were invited for questioning but eventually released.
Former Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, was also seen in a video from his 54th birthday ceremony getting sprayed with N1,000 notes by an unidentified man.
The action contravenes Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (as amended), which stipulates that “spraying of, dancing or matching on the naira or any note issued by the bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.”
This is the same crime Tee Dollar and Tobi Nation have been jailed for.
Their fans and other concerned Nigerians are asking the EFCC when it would extend the same treatment to Tompolo and Okoya’s sons.
Some have accused the EFCC of serving preferential treatments to the rich while prosecuting the poor for similar offenses.
“These are the kinds of people Eagle can catch. Truly laws of Nigeria are for the lowly & unconnected ones,” one X user wrote in response to a report on the duo’s conviction.
“@officialEFCC Kindly explained rationale behind ur agency dragging Tobination & TDollar to court and subsequent jail term for abuse of naira where the recent celebrities you invited were all allowed to go for d to keep educating Nigerians about the crime. This is double standard,” another user wrote.
