A civil society group, Concerned Edo Youth, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Kelly Okungbowa (aka Ebo Stone), a senior Edo State government official, for abuse of the naira after a video surfaced showing him spraying newly minted currency on strippers.
Okungbowa, a close ally of Governor Monday Okpebholo, serves as the Chairman of the Edo State Asset Recovery Committee and State Coordinator of the Public Safety Response Team (PSR). In the footage, which emerged over the weekend, he is seen tossing wads of cash as two scantily clad women dance around him, rubbing the notes on their bodies.
The CBN Act of 2007 criminalizes the abuse of naira notes, including spraying, stepping on, or mishandling currency. Offenders face six months in prison, a ₦50,000 fine, or both.
Authorities have previously enforced this law against private citizens. In February 2024, actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin was jailed for six months for stepping on naira notes. In May 2024, socialite Bobrisky received a similar sentence, while businessman Cubana Chief Priest reached an out-of-court settlement after being charged later that year.
The group’s president, Comrade Joseph Gbale, accused the government of double standards in enforcing financial regulations.
“These people harass traders and motorists in the name of public safety while engaging in the same reckless behavior behind closed doors,” Gbale said. “Will the EFCC act, or is the law only for the poor?”
The petition, submitted to EFCC’s Benin Zonal Office, calls for immediate prosecution, citing past cases where private citizens faced legal consequences for similar acts.
The scandal comes at a difficult time for Governor Okpebholo, as his administration grapples with corruption scandals, plummeting public support, and an impending tribunal ruling on his bitterly disputed election.
His government is still reeling from the suspension of the Public Safety Response Team after the tragic death of two-year-old Gift Kelly Osahon. The Attorney General was recently suspended over corruption allegations, and Okpebholo’s ongoing standoff with President Bola Tinubu’s administration over control of local government councils has further weakened his standing.