A security guard, Vatsama Danladi, yesterday appeared before Justice M. M. Kolo of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on a four-count charge bordering on theft, illegal possession and use of specimen naira currency notes.
Danladi, a security guard with Kings Guard Security attached to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), ran into legal trouble when one of the new generation banks found 299 pieces of N1,000 notes marked “specimen” amounting to N299,000 during a process of cash count sometime in January.
On investigation, the bank, according to the Head, Media and Publicity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, discovered that Danladi deposited the specimen currency notes into his account through ATM deposit machines at Karu and Mararaba branches.
Further investigations revealed that the accused also deposited yetto- be ascertained trenches of the specimen notes into his account in another new generation bank via the bank’s ATM deposit machine at Mararaba branch. One of the charges reads: “That you, Vatsama Danladi ‘M’ on or about January 2016 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the honourable court committed theft of property to wit: Specimen N1,000 notes totalling 488 by taking it out of the possession of the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 286 of the Penal Code.”
When the charge was read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him. In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, Andrew Akoja, urged the court to remand the accused and fix a date for trial.
