The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested an accountant (names not disclosed) of Oando Filling Station, Dutse Alhaji, in Abuja, over alleged racketeering of the new Naira notes.
This latest arrest followed the continued onslaught by the Commission on some elements, who have taken advantage of the scarcity of the new Naira notes to swindle distressed Nigerians.
The Commission, in a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, said its Monitoring Team received a tip-off that the said filling station deliberately disconnected its Point of Sale (POS) services so that motorists could not buy petrol with their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.
Ogugua said: “Upon reaching the petrol station, the Team found that motorists were forced to pay for the product in cash, and those without the new notes were directed to a POS operator directly opposite the filling station to access the cash.
“ICPC operatives found out that the POS did not only belong to the accountant of the filling station, but it was charging a very high exorbitant rate as commission against the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The sum of N1 million was discovered with the POS operator, which the Team directed should be paid into a bank account.
“The accountant was arrested alongside the POS operator, and both have been granted administrative bail by the Commission.”