Spray naira notes at parties and go to jail, CBN tells Nigerians

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that Nigerians who spray Naira notes at parties risk going to jail for about six months or made to pay a N50,000 fine.

The CBN which  said on Thursday through its Bankers Committee added that henceforth, mobile courts are to move around to summarily apprehend and put to trial perpetrators of abuse of the Naira.

The CBN spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, who said mobile courts would be deployed nationwide to enforce the law, confirmed that the police and officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice would be involved in the monitoring and enforcement of the law.

“If a celebrant is dancing and you spray him/her, you may go to jail from the party venue, because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you,” Mr Okorafor said in a statement published by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“It is the duty of the law enforcement agencies to catch offenders and take them to court. Our (CBN) collaboration with the police will intensify as we move to implement the mobile court for offenders,” he said

He enjoined Nigerians who use cash as gift to their loved ones to ensure such monies are properly put in an envelope before giving to the celebrant.

Besides, he also warned all those are in habit of mutilating or defacing the Naira notes by using them as writing pads would equally face six months jail term or N50,000, or both.

The Managing Director of First Securities Discount House (FSDH) Merchant Bank, Handa Ambah, said people caught selling Naira notes would also be punished.

“We need to let people know that this is our money. The fact that you cannot spray money at parties does not mean that you cannot put money in an envelope and pass it to the celebrants,” Mrs Ambah said.

Spraying of naira notes in parties is common across Nigeria especially in the southern part of the country.