Nollywood actress Simisola Gold detained in Kirikiri facility for spraying new naira notes

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos on Monday, ordered the detention of an actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, who was seen in a viral video spraying the newly printed new naira notes at a social event.

Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke made the remand order after the actress pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against her by the Lagos zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge ordered Oluwadarasimi to be remanded in the Kirikiri female section of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), till Wednesday, February 15, when her bail application would be heard and determined.

The Charges against the defendant read: “that you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28th day of January 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”

The second count reads: “that you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28th day of January 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by dancing on same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the offences when the charges were read to her.

In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel, Sulaiman Sulaiman asked the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the appropriate correctional facility.

But the defence counsel, Adenike Goncalves urged the court to admit the defendant to bail pending the hearing and determination of the case. She also prayed that her client be remanded in EFCC custody pending the perfection of the bail terms.

The EFCC counsel then submitted that bail is at the discretion of the court, he prayed that in the event bail is granted, the conditions of the bail term should be such that would enable the defendant to be present during the trial.

Justice Aneke deferred the ruling on the bail application to Wednesday, February 15, 2023, and remanded the defendant at the Kirikiri correctional facility.

Oluwadarasimi was arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Fraud Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and was handed over to the EFCC for investigation.

The 31-year-old was arrested after the video of her spraying and stepping on the newly redesigned Naira notes at a party surfaced online.

In the viral video, she was also seen flaunting wads of the new Naira notes.

In her statement to the Commission, she claimed that she received the new Naira notes from her fans at the party and that she did not know the persons who gave her the money.

Items recovered from her at the point of arrest include a Range Rover and iPhone mobile devices.

If found guilty, she risks a jail term of not less than six months or a fine of not less than N50,000 or both, as provided for under section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act (2007).