A video that has gone viral on the internet claims that some old naira notes were discovered inside a large container near Wadata market in Benue on Tuesday.

In the said video, some residents of Wadata were seen pulling out bags of what looked like decomposing papers from a store claiming it was money discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

However, in response to the viral video, an EFCC official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and was quoted by The Punch, stated that the sacks do not contain money, as widely speculated.

The source said the anti-graft agency deployed its men when it got information about the discovery but on getting to the scene, it was discovered that they were condemned notes from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that had already been cut into pieces and squeezed.

He said, “It is true we heard information of old naira notes then we went to court to obtain a search warrant, on getting there, we found those condemned naira notes.

“The owner of the old naira notes said he bought them from the CBN. The old notes have been cut into pieces and squeezed, it is not money at all.

“I will send the pictures of the contents in the sacks that were discovered to you to see.”

Police Speaks

Similarly, the Benue State Police Command said in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Catherine Anene, that the alleged naira notes were wasted papers obtained from the CBN.

When contacted, the owner of the container also provided a CBN licence for waste management, allowing him to process the waste into mosquito repellants, according to the Police spokesperson.

As a result, Anene dismissed reports of a massive discovery of old naira notes as false.

The statement read in part, “On December 13, 2022, at about 12pm, information was received at a police division, Makurdi, that hidden naira notes were recovered from police barracks, Wadata.

“Police detectives sent on investigation to the scene recovered wasted papers in a shop close to Wadata Police Barracks, Makurdi.

“The owner of the shop, Mr. Isah Suleiman, was invited for questioning and he tendered a licence issued to him by the CBN for waste management.

“He added that these wasted papers were usually gotten from the CBN and processed in mosquito repellents. Investigation has been extended to the CBN for confirmation.”