In Ilorin, Nigeria, a man named Yakubu Aminu got in trouble with the law. The judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro, told him he had to work in the community for 200 hours. This happened because Yakubu was trading money like a money changer but without the right permission, or a license.
Another court in Kwara State, with Justice Hammed Gegele, said two men, Abdulalahi Abdulrasaq Omotosho and Akeem Ibrahim Salaudeen, did something wrong too. They were involved with bad things on the internet to get money.
On October 9, 2024, a group of people called the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought these men to court. Each person had their turn in front of the judge to explain what they did wrong.
Yakubu was accused of doing money business at a place called Chikanda Market in July 2024, but he didn’t have the Central Bank’s permission. This is like running a lemonade stand without asking the teacher first. The rules say you should have special permission, and he didn’t.
For Akeem, the story is different. Between December 2018 and November 2024, he had a lot of money in his bank that came from doing bad things. It was over 4 million Nigerian Naira. This is a long time to keep money that’s not yours.
When the police talked to them, the men said, “Yes, we did those things.” This made the judges decide that they should be punished. The proof was clear, so the judges had to follow the rules.
Justice Awogboro said Yakubu needs to help the community for 200 hours. This means he will do helpful things like cleaning or fixing things, and he won’t pay money instead.
The money and some other things Yakubu had at the time, worth 50,000 CFA and N368,500, were given to the government.
Justice Gegele decided that Akeem and Abdullahi should go to jail for six months each, but they could also pay 150,000 Naira to avoid jail time.
The police took the money Akeem had—over 4 million Naira—and some things like a phone and 600 US dollars Abdullahi had with him. These were also given to the government because they were gotten through bad things.