Nollywood Actress Remanded In Prison For Spraying, Stepping On New Naira Notes

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, February 13, ordered that Nollywood actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, who was arrested for tampering with the new Naira notes be remanded in Kirikiri pending the determination of her bail application. 

Omoseyin was arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Fraud Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and was handed over to the EFCC for investigation. The 31-year-old was arrested after the video of her spraying and stepping on the newly redesigned Naira notes at a party surfaced online. In her statement to the Commission, she claimed that she received the new Naira notes from her fans at the party and that she did not know the persons who gave her the money. 

Omoseyin was arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Omoseyin before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on a two-count charge brought against her.

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One of the count reads, that you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28n day of January, 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.’

The second reads; That you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28th day of January, 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by dancing on same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”

When the charges were read to her, Omoseyin pleaded not guilty. In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel, S.I Sulaiman asked the court for a trial date and prayed that the defendant be remanded in the appropriate correctional facility.

Responding, counsel to the defendant, Adenike Goncalves prayed the court to admit the defendant to bail pending the hearing and determination of the case. She also prayed that her client be remanded in EFCC custody pending the perfection of the bail terms if so granted by the court.  While Sulaiman submitted that bail is at the discretion of the court, he prayed that in the event bail is granted, the conditions of the bail term should be such that would enable the defendant be present during the trial.

Justice Aneke deferred ruling on the bail application to Wednesday, February 15, 2023 and remanded the defendant in Kirikiri correctional facility.