CSO Petitions EFCC Over Edo Govt Official Spraying Naira on Erotic Dancers
By The9jaTREND
A civil society group, Concerned Edo Youth, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate a senior Edo State government official, Kelly Okungbowa, also know as ‘Eboh Stone’ for abuse of the naira after a video surfaced online showing him spraying naira notes on two exotic dancers.
Okungbowa, a close ally of Governor Monday Okpebholo, serves as the Chairman of the suspended Edo State Asset Recovery Committee and State Coordinator of the Public Safety Response Team (PSR).
In the footage, which emerged over the weekend, Okungbowa 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 scandals, plummeting public support, and an impending tribunal ruling on his bitterly disputed election.
Okpebholo’s government is still reeling from the suspension of the Public Safety Response Team after the tragic death of two-year-old Gift Kelly Osahon.
Eyewitnesses reported that the chaos began when PSR enforcers attempted to seize control of a moving commercial bus, leading the driver to lose control. The bus veered off the road and crashed into a roadside POS kiosk, where the young girl and her mother were standing. The child was killed on impact.
“She had no chance to escape,” said an eyewitness. “The bus flung her and her mother against the concrete slabs, but only she didn’t survive. It was horrific.”
