0:00
federal high court sitting in Lagos
0:02
state has sentenced a businessman Hagore
0:04
God's will of Julu to 5 years
0:06
imprisonment for refusing to accept
0:09
Naira currency as a legal tender in
0:11
exchange for the sales of diamond
0:13
bracelet demanding the company customers
0:15
to pay in dollars and the court in its
0:18
ruling on Thursday ordered the diamond
0:20
bracelet worth over $10,000 to be
0:23
forfeited to the federal government this
0:25
on the same vein another federal high
0:28
court in Aoyi had on Tuesday sentenced a
0:31
diamond businessman Uzandu precious
0:33
Chimroi to 4 years imprisonment for also
0:36
refusing to accept Naira as means of
0:38
payment from his customers and the court
0:41
in Aoy also ordered the Cartier diamond
0:43
wristwatch worth over
0:45
$5,700 to be forfeited to the federal
0:48
government details of the news reports
0:51
as presented by the public relations
0:53
unit of the economic and financial
0:55
crimes commission EFCC reads verbatim
0:58
below lagos court jails businessman
1:01
company for refusal to accept naira as
1:04
legal tender justice Akantaio Aluko of
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the Federal High Court sitting in Akoi
1:10
Lagos on Thursday April 17th 2025
1:13
convicted and sentenced a businessman
1:16
Anagore Gods Obia Julu and his company
1:19
Ice by CW to 5 years imprisonment for
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their refusal to accept the Naira as a
1:23
legal tender obiaulu alongside Ice by CW
1:28
was arraigned on Thursday on a twocount
1:31
charge bordering on refusal to accept
1:33
the Naira as a legal tender count one
1:36
reads that you ice by CW and anagore
1:39
God's will of a julu on the 10th day of
1:42
December 2024 in Lagos within the
1:45
jurisdiction of this honorable court
1:48
refused to accept Naira Nigeria's legal
1:50
tender by accepting the sum of
1:55
$10,000 as a means of payment for the
1:57
purchase of one diamond clover bracelet
1:59
and you thereby committed an offense
2:01
contrary to and punishable under section
2:04
1 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act
2:08
2007 count two reads that you ice by CW
2:12
and anagore Gods will obulu on the 10th
2:15
day of December 2024 in Lagos within the
2:19
jurisdiction of this honorable court
2:22
directly retain the total sum of
2:26
$10,000 which some you reasonably ought
2:28
to have known forms part of the proceeds
2:31
of your unlawful activity to wit pricing
2:34
and accepting USD as a means of payment
2:37
for goods and services and you thereby
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commit ed an offense contrary to section
2:41
182D of the moneyaundering prevention
2:44
and prohibition act 2022 and punishable
2:48
under section 183 of the same act he
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pleaded guilty to the charges when they
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were read to him in view of his plea
2:58
prosecution council CC Oesi tendered in
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evidence the payment receipt of the
3:04
bracelet dated December 10th 2024 the
3:07
defendant's statement dated December
3:09
27th 2024 and the diamond bracelet oesi
3:14
also urged the court to convict the
3:16
defendant as charged delivering judgment
3:19
Justice Aluko found the first and second
3:21
defendants guilty and sentenced them to
3:23
6 months imprisonment each with an
3:26
option of fine in the sum of 50,000
3:28
naira 50,000 naira on count one the
3:32
judge sentenced the second defendant to
3:34
4 years imprisonment with an option of
3:36
fine in the sum of 1 million naira 1
3:39
million naira on count two also the
3:42
judge pronounced a fine of 1,000 naira
3:47
000 1 million naira on the first
3:49
defendant on count two the diamond
3:52
clover bracelet was ordered forfeited to
3:54
the federal government of Nigeria the
3:57
two convicts bagged their imprisonment
3:59
for pricing and accepting United States
4:01
dollars as a means of payment for goods
4:03
and services contrary to the money
4:05
laundering act court jails man 4 years
4:09
for refusal to accept naira as legal
4:11
tender justice Alexander Aai of the
4:14
Federal High Court sitting in Aoyi Lagos
4:17
on Tuesday April 15th 2025 convicted and
4:21
sentenced Juan Muzandu precious
4:24
Chimarrobi to 4 years imprisonment for
4:26
his refusal to accept the Naira as a
4:28
legal tender chimroi was arraigned by
4:31
the Lagosonal director at one of the
4:33
economic and financial crimes commission
4:36
EFCC Awalo Road Aoy Lagos on February
4:41
5th 2025 on a twocount charge bordering
4:44
on refusal to accept the Naira as a
4:47
legal tender one of the counts reads
4:50
that you Precious Chimi Yuandu on the
4:53
10th of December 2024 in Lagos within
4:57
the jurisdiction of this honorable court
4:59
refused to accept Naira Nigeria legal
5:02
tender by accepting the sum of
5:05
$5,700 5,700 USD as a means of payment
5:10
for a purchase of a Cartier diamond
5:12
bracelet with serial number 12,345,600
5:18
78 and you thereby committed an offense
5:21
contrary to section 20 of the central
5:26
2007 he initially pleaded not guilty to
5:29
the charge leading to his full trial
5:33
subsequently the prosecution presented
5:38
PW1 Jude an operative of the
5:41
EFCC led in evidence by the prosecution
5:44
council Hu Kofanza Jude told the court
5:48
that the commission received
5:50
intelligence on the activities of a
5:52
jewelry company called Unlimited
5:53
Jewelers Limited whose owner is oneandu
5:56
precious Chimroi the company which deals
5:59
in jewelry at Atlantic Mall Chevron
6:02
Drive Leki Lagos intentionally tags and
6:05
sells its products in dollars as against
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the CBN Act 2007 which stipulates Naira
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as the only legal tender in Nigeria
6:15
continuing he added that subsequently a
6:18
coveret operation was carried out where
6:20
an undercover operative of the
6:22
commission disguised as a customer to
6:24
purchase a diamond nail bracelet that
6:26
was tagged $6,000 and bought it for
6:30
$5,700 the company refused to receive
6:33
Naira and demanded dollars as a means of
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payment the payment was made and receipt
6:38
was issued in dollars the owner of the
6:41
company was arrested and taken to the
6:45
however at the resumed sitting on April
6:47
14th 2025 the defendant opted to change
6:51
his not guilty plea to guilty consequent
6:55
upon his guilty plea Kofana prayed the
6:58
court to rely on the evidence earlier
7:00
given by the investigating officer and
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admit the same in convicting the
7:04
defendant kofanza thereafter tended the
7:08
defendant's statement and other evidence
7:10
to further prove his guilt and they were
7:12
admitted by the court justice Aoai then
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adjourned till Tuesday April 15th 2025
7:19
for ruling delivering judgment they
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found the defendant guilty and gave him
7:24
an option of fine of 50,000 naira 50,000
7:28
naira on count one the judge sentenced
7:31
him to four years imprisonment with an
7:33
option of fine in the sum of 600,000
7:36
naira on count two his Cartier diamond
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wristwatch was ordered forfeited to the
7:41
federal government of Nigeria the
7:44
convict bagged his imprisonment when he
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refused to accept Naira by accepting the
7:52
$5,700 USD as a means of payment for a
7:55
purchase of a Cartier diamond bracelet
7:58
he was charged to court and convicted
8:05
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