The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of Bilikis Adeyinka, a woman who was arrested for hawking a large sum of naira notes in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

According to a statement on the EFCC’s Facebook page, Adeyinka was arrested on April 27, 2024, while hawking naira notes worth N897,900 at a location in Ikeja. The act contravened Section 21(4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2007.

The convict was arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on one count of currency racketeering. She pleaded guilty to the charge.

During the trial, the prosecution called an operative of the EFCC, Olagunju Abdul Malik, to review the facts of the case. Malik told the court that Adeyinka was arrested following credible intelligence received by the commission. The sum of N897,900 was recovered from her at the point of arrest.

Justice Aneke sentenced Adeyinka to six months’ imprisonment, with an option of a N50,000 fine.

In a separate development, five Bureau de Change operators were arrested by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the EFCC on Tuesday. The suspects were arrested at the Borno State Hajj Camp in Maiduguri following credible intelligence about their involvement in the sale of foreign currencies.

The suspects are currently being held by the EFCC and will be prosecuted upon the conclusion of an ongoing investigation.