Naira redesign: 2 weeks after announcement, N52bn deposited in Nigerian banks

Barely two weeks after the announcement of plans by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign some naira notes, about N52 billion cash has been deposited so far.

There were indications that the deposit sum may increase in the next few days because it is suspected that about N3 trillion cash was in circulation at the time the apex bank announced the policy.

The CBN claimed that some of the identified depositors were politicians, Bureau De Change operators, businessmen, real estate financiers, traders and others.

It was also learnt that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies have directed banks to keep records of depositors, including institutions.

The screening of high-profile depositors, especially currency hoarders and money launderers, may begin soon.

There were fears that the redesigning of some naira notes may affect cash haul during the ongoing 2023 campaign.

According to a reliable source, who was armed with facts and figures, security and intelligence agencies have confirmed huge cash deposits of N52 billion in banks in less than two weeks.

The source said some representatives of one of the agencies appeared before a Senate Committee on Tuesday in Abuja behind the curtains.

The source said: “As the cash was being taken to banks, we were getting the details of all the depositors and in some cases, we could trace the sources.

“As of Tuesday, over N52billion cash has been deposited in various banks. Some of the deposits have been traced to some politicians, Bureau De Change operators, suspected money launderers, middlemen, drug barons, businessmen and traders.

The Nation