2 siblings, one other jailed for naira abuse

The Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, has convicted and sentenced two siblings, Amos Remilekun Ilesanmi and Olanrewaju Samuel Ilesanmi, alongside Ugbeh Emmanuel Ukali for naira notes mutilation.

The Ilesanmi brothers were ex-convicts, sentenced to three months community service each on October 2, 2024, for internet fraud, impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence by the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, while Ukali is presently being prosecuted a one-count charge of internet fraud.

The three were arraigned by the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 25, 2025 on a joint one-count charge that bordered on naira mutilation.

The charge read: “That you Ilesanmi Amos Remilekun, Ilesanmi Olanrewaju Samuel, and Ugbeh Emmanuel Ukali on or about 6th June, 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court sprayed the total sum of N391, 400.00 of N500 and N200 denomination issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(4) of the Central Bank Act, 2007 and Punishable under Section 21(1) of the same Act.”

They all pleaded “guilty” when the charge was read to them.

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The prosecution counsel, Abideen Muhammad Aliyu, presented a witness, Adegbite Adebayo, an EFCC operative through whom he tendered incriminating documents and items and urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.

The defence counsel Akinlabi Akinfala, however, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the defendants, arguing that they are first-time offenders and have become remorseful.

The presiding judge, Justice Uche Agomoh, convicted and sentenced the defendants to six months imprisonment each, without option of fine and ordered their forfeiture of N391,400 to the federal government, being the sum they sprayed.

The convicts’ journey to the correctional centre began with their arrest in June 2024 in an Akure nightclub, Ondo State, where they sprayed and trampled upon naira notes.

The Star