Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has ordered security agents to arrest anybody who refuses to accept old naira notes as legal tender in the state.
Matawalle gave the order at a swearing-in ceremony of the new High Court Judges and Special Advisers held at the Government House Gusau on Friday, saying that the old notes remained legal tender.
He claimed the redesigning of the currency was ill-timed and wrongly implemented.
The governor ordered that, “Anyone who refuses to accept the old currency notes of N200, N500 and N1000 in the state should be arrested.”
According to him, the old Naira notes remain legal tender until the final verdict of the case instituted against the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Government by three northern governors of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states at the Supreme Court.
Matawalle added, “As you are all aware, the economy of the country as a whole has been plunged into a serious crisis by the decision of the Central Bank to cease recognition of the old naira notes as legal tender from February 10.
“This decision compounded the already dire situation of our state occasioned by banditry and sundry crimes, which significantly disrupted economic activities in the state and the subregion over the years.
“It was in consideration of the grave consequences of this disruptive policy which was not well thought out, that I took the decision to team up with the sister states of Kaduna and Kogi to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to ensure that both the new and old naira notes remain as legal tender beyond February 10.
“Gladly, the Supreme Court has given an interim injunction barring the CBN from the enforcement of its plan of phasing out the old notes as legal tender from February 10, pending its final ruling on the matter on February 15.”
CHECKPOINTCHARLEY 