The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Enugu Zonal Directorate on Thursday, December 12, 2024, arraigned two employees of a new generation bank, Ekpe Anayaoha Okoronkwo and Umeonuoha Onyinye, before Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Enugu. The pair faced a one-count charge of currency racketeering involving the sale of newly-minted N500,000.
According to the charge, the defendants sold a total of N500,000 in freshlyminted N200 notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to one Husseini Ibrahim. The incident reportedly occurred in October 2024 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Enugu.
Okoronkwo pleaded guilty to the charge, while Onyinye denied the allegations. In response, the EFCC’s counsel, Chief Superintendent Rotimi Ajobiewe, requested a short date for reviewing the facts of the case regarding Okoronkwo. For Onyinye, the prosecution requested a trial date to prove its case.
Onyinye’s lawyer, C. N. Agama, sought to have him remanded at EFCC custody pending the hearing of a bail application.
Justice Umar adjourned the case to January 15, 2025, for the hearing of Onyinye’s bail application and for Okoronkwo’s conviction and sentence. Both defendants were remanded at the Enugu State Correctional Facility.
The two were arrested on November 15, 2024, at their workplace, following intelligence reports linking them to the illicit sale of Naira mints in the Enugu metropolis. Preliminary investigations revealed that the defendants allegedly sold the N500,000 to Ibrahim in exchange for an undisclosed arrangement.
This marks the latest in a series of EFCC operations targeting currency-related crimes in the country.
