Accountant in ICPC net over alleged new Naira notes racketeering

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested an accountant of a filling station at Dutse Alhaji in Abuja.

The Commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the accountant was arrested over alleged new Naira notes racketeering.

According to her, this latest arrest follows the continued onslaught by the commission on some elements who have taken advantage of the scarcity of the new Naira notes to swindle unsuspecting Nigerians.

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Ogugua said that the Commission’s Monitoring Team had earlier received a tip-off that the said filling station deliberately disconnected its Point of Sale (POS) services to aid its fraudulent practices.

“Hence, motorists could not have access to the Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called Petrol, using their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

“Upon reaching the Petrol Station, the Team found out that motorists were forced to pay for the product in cash, and those without the new notes were directed to a POS operator directly opposite the station to access their cash.

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“ICPC operatives found out that the POS did not only belong to the accountant of the Filling Station, but it was indulging high charges as commission against the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“The sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) was discovered with the POS operator which the Team directed that it should be paid into a bank account.”

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Ogugua said the accountant and the POS operator were promptly arrested, adding that, “both of them have been granted administrative bail by the Commission.”(NAN)