Court Conviction Set To Deter Currency Note Hawkers

There is a conviction case that currency note hawkers in the country obviously have a lesson or two to learn from.

It is the one involving one Faisal Muhammad, who has been sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Justice R. N. Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, passed the sentence on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

This followed Muhammad’s arraignment by the Abuja Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Monday, December 1, 2025, on a one-count charge bordering on hawking and selling of Naira notes.

According to the charge:

-“you, Faisal Mohammed, sometime in July 2025, at A.Y.A, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, hawked the sums of Three Million, One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N3,150,000) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria in denominations of One Thousand Naira (N1,000) totaling One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,700,000) and Five Hundred Naira (N500) totaling One Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1,450,000); and

-you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(4) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, and punishable under Section 21(1) of the same Act.”

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The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and in view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Eunice Vou thereafter tendered the defendant’s statement as well as the N1, 000 and N500, being part of the total sum recovered from him at the time of arrest

 Based on Faisal Muhammad’s voluntary plea and admission of guilt, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia convicted and sentenced him to six months imprisonment, expected to serve as a deterrent to other currency note hawkers. 

The judge said Muhammad was found guilty as charged under “Section 21(4) of the CBN Act, 2007,” and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of N200, 000( Two Hundred Thousand Naira only).

The currencies in lieu of Muhammad’s conviction were in different denominations of N1000, and N500, respectively, totaling (One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 700,000), and N500, totaling (One Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1, 450,000).