An actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, has been sentenced to six months in prison by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The conviction on Thursday, February 1, 2024, came after Omoseyin was found guilty of spraying and stepping on new Naira notes at a social event in Lagos, an act that contravenes the Central Bank of Nigeria’s regulations.
Initially pleading “not guilty” to the two-count following her arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 13, 2023, Omoseyin later changed her plea in light of compelling evidence against her. She had been granted bail since February 15, 2023.
The charges against Omoseyin detailed her actions on January 28, 2023, at the Monarch Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos, where she was filmed dancing and disrespectfully handling a sum of N100,000 in Naira notes, behavior deemed punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.
Upon her guilty plea, the prosecution, led by counsel Z.B. Atiku, presented EFCC operative Abubakar Mohammed Marafa to recount the facts of the case. Marafa explained that the defendant was initially apprehended by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on February 1, 2023, before being transferred to the EFCC for further investigation. Investigations revealed videos on Omoseyin’s phone and footage from the event center, clearly showing her actions.