Notorious bandit Kachalla Baleri flashed new naira notes in a viral propaganda video to demonstrate his unrestrained access to cash.
This comes as Nigerians continue to suffer with acute shortage of cash in circulation since the Central Bank announced the redesign of higher denominations of the naira while withdrawing old notes from the economy.
CBN governor Godwin Emefiele said while announcing the policy last year that part of the target was to cut off cash supply to bandits and terrorists who continue to kidnap for huge ransom.
In the viral video seen on social media Thursday, Mr Baleri flanked on both sides by three of his gang members, armed with AK 47 rifles, was seen in possession of the new naira notes, deriding President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime of lying that new naira notes policy will bar bandits from kidnapping for ransom.
“It is a barefaced lie to claim that the naira redesign will prevent terrorists, I mean those of us they designated as terrorists from accessing money.
But you can see the new notes here with us,” Mr Baleri said.Showing off with the new notes, the bandits leader said “as you can see, this one is the N200 new note, this other one is the N500 and this one is the N1,000 new notes. We are in the jungle but we have them.”
We cannot immediately ascertain when and where the viral video was recorded.
However, the development raises questions on how bandits in the forest have access to new naira notes that have been scarce in circulation.
