Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Monday, arrested members of a syndicate hoarding and trading the redesigned naira notes in Abuja.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Monday, said the suspects were arrested around zone 4 and Dei Dei axis of the Federal Capital Territory.
The suspects were also said to have confessed to the EFCC that they were working in connivance with some commercial bank officials.
The EFCC statement read, “The operation followed intelligence on activities of unscrupulous currency speculators who were exploiting desperate citizens by offering them the new Naira notes for foreign currencies at below the going rate.
“The suspects have made useful statements, including a disclosure that they were acting in cohort with some unscrupulous officials of Money Deposit Banks.
“The Commission will extend the operation to all the major commercial centres of the country until all the syndicates involved in the illegal trade are demobilised. Financial system operators are also warned to desist from the sharp practices or risk arrest and prosecution.
“Zonal Commanders of the EFCC today, also met with officials of various banks in their Commands in an effort to ascertain the volume of the new notes issued to the commercial banks and how the banks were dispensing the monies to their customers.
“The Commanders urged the financial market operators to ensure compliance with the guidelines set by the Central Bank of Nigeria while disclosing that they have dispatched operatives across their Commands to monitor the level of compliance by banks and other operators in the financial market.”