Abubakar Sani Bello, the Niger State governor, has directed security agencies in the state arrest those rejecting old naira notes.
Bello gave the order in a statement issued and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Minna by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane.
He noted that old Naira notes of N1000, N500 and N200 are still valid and anyone who refuses to accept the old currency should be dealt with according to the dictate of the law.
According to the Governor, “it has come to the notice of Government that some people and traders were rejecting the old Naira notes from the citizens, a development that is not healthy thereby inflicting untold hardship on the people of the State”.
Sani Bello warned that the old Naira notes are still valid and anybody found rejecting them shall be arrested and prosecuted, calling on the people to go about with their legitimate business and report any person who refused to accept the old Naira notes to Security Agencies for necessary action.
It would be recalled that the State Government has earlier filed a suit against the Federal Government on the Naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).