EFCC Arraigns Man for Currency Counterfeiting

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, May 19, 2016, arraigned one Vatsama Danladi before Justice M. M. Kolo of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on a 4-count charge bordering on theft, illegal possession and use of specimen naira currency notes.

Danladi, a security guard with Kings Guard Security attached to Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, ran into legal trouble when one of the new generation banks found 299 pieces of N1000 notes marked “specimen” amounting to N299, 000.00 during a process of cash count sometime in January this year.

 

On investigation, the bank discovered that, Danladi deposited the specimen currency notes into his account through ATM deposit machines at Karu and Mararaba branches.

 

Further investigations revealed that, the accused also deposited a yet to be ascertained trenches of the specimen notes into his account in another new generation bank via the bank’s ATM deposit machine at Mararaba branch of the bank.

One of the charges reads:

That you, Vatsama Danladi ‘M’ on or about January 2016 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable court committed theft of property to wit: Specimen N1, 000.00 (One Thousand Naira) notes totaling 488 (four hundred and eighty eight) by taking it out of the possession of the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 286 of the Penal Code”.

When the charge was read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.

 

In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, Andrew Akoja urged the court to remand the accused and fix a date for trial.

However, the defence counsel, U. Erhinure, through an oral application prayed the court to admit the defendant to bail adding that, the accused had been on administrative bail and had always make himself available whenever he was called upon by the EFCC.

Justice Kolo granted the accused bail in the sum of N2million (two million naira) with one surety in like sum. The surety must have landed property within the FCT.

 

The case has been adjourned to June 20, 2016 for hearing.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity

19^th May, 2016