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Officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission stormed two banks in Bauchi State on Tuesday to monitor cash disbursement exercise, as the agency noted that the operation would spread across the country, The PUNCH reports.
PUNCH correspondent gathered that the operation which was still ongoing was being carried out by a joint task force comprising operatives of the ICPC and its sister anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and staff members of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Speaking to our correspondent on Wednesday, a top ICPC official 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.”
The ongoing raids came on the heels of similar raids of currency hawkers and racketeers by personnel of the EFCC and the Department of State Services.
The raids came few days after the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the apex bank would collaborate with law enforcement agencies such as the ICPC and the EFCC, to track heavy withdrawals.
The PUNCH reports that the CBN had extended the deadline for the validity of the old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes from January 31 to February 10.
Although the ICPC was yet to confirm any arrest, the EFCC on Tuesday disclosed that it had arrested members of a syndicate of currency racketeers trading in the redesigned naira notes at Zone 4, Wuse and Dei-Dei axis of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Also, the DSS revealed on Monday that its operatives arrested some currency traders who had turned the sale of newly redesigned notes into brisk business.
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