Oluwanifemi Ojo
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Joint Task Force have begun monitoring the cash disbursement exercise as they visited two banks in Bauchi State on Tuesday.
According to The Punch, the operations of this agency will cut across every part of the country.
It was gathered that this operation was being carried out by officials of ICPC, the EFCC, and workers of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
A senior officials of the ICPC spoke to The Punch on Wednesday and said, “Yesterday, Tuesday, officials of the commission from the Bauchi State office joined the taskforce alongside staff of the CBN and operatives of the EFCC, to monitor the disbursement of new currency notes by some commercial banks within Bauchi metropolis.
“Two Banks namely Access Bank and First Bank were monitored on Tuesday which was day one of the exercise. This operation will spread across the country.”
This development followed the scarcity of the new Naira note. The EFCC personnel and Department of State Service have also stormed places to capture currency hawkers and those who are using the new currency to exploit citizens.
Also, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has said the Central Bank of Nigeria would work with law enforcement agencies to track heavy withdrawals of the new naira note.
The EFCC announced on Tuesday that it had apprehended members of a group of currency racketeers trading in the newly designed naira notes at Zone 4, Wuse, and Dei-Dei axis of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, while the ICPC had yet to confirm any arrests.
In addition, the DSS also said on Monday that its operatives have arrested those who trade the new currency.
