Ahead of the deadline for the swapping of old naira notes for the newly redesigned ones and the implementation of the cashless policy, suspected members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) have distributed huge amounts of old notes to scores of commuters in the Lake Chad Basin in Borno State.
Truetells Nigeria reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had extended the deadline to swap the old naira notes for the new notes to the 10th of February, after which the old notes would cease to be legal tenders.
It was gathered that ISWAP fighters on Saturday stormed the road just after Mairari village, along the Maiduguri/Monguno highway in Guzamala LGA of Borno State, to distribute the old notes to commuters.
According to Daily Trust, the dreaded terrorists were dressed in military camouflage and drove two gun trucks.
A resident, Bakura Ibrahim, said the insurgents positioned themselves under a tree and stood by the roadside with bags of old naira notes.
“We left Monguno at about 12 noon. As we approached Mairari, there were no existing checkpoints in the area; we were apprehensive.
“They stopped us and asked if we were going to Maiduguri, then they started giving each person 100,000 old naira notes, but we could not believe it. They gave each occupant of the Golf Volkswagen,” Bakura told Daily Trust.
Another source added, “The group simply told us, “If you think you can go to their banks and change it to new naira, go and do so; may Allah make it beneficial to you.”