Two BDC operators sentenced to five years for operating without CBN licence
By Aboki Forex —
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two Bureau De Change operators to five years in prison each for running BDC businesses without a valid licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the verdicts on Monday in two separate cases brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Separate convictions, same sentence
The first defendant, Isah Sulaiman, traded under the name Sly Exclusive Multi Concept. The second, Aminu Abdullahi, was prosecuted alongside his company, Ninext Multi-Ventures Ltd. Abdullahi and Ninext Multi-Ventures were accused of operating a BDC business without a CBN licence between July 2021 and April 2026 in Abuja.
Both defendants had earlier appeared in court, pleaded guilty, and entered into plea bargain agreements with the EFCC. The charges cited an offence under Section 57(5) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020. The prosecutor in both cases was T.M. Anamaeze.
Justice Egwuatu handed down the same punishment to both convicts: five years in prison or a fine of N2 million.
Court rejects plea bargain in one case
In the case involving Abdullahi and Ninext Multi-Ventures, the judge refused to accept the terms of the plea bargain, which had proposed a one-year prison sentence. Justice Egwuatu held that the recommended term was inconsistent with the punishment set out under the relevant law. He instead directed the defendant to exercise his rights under the applicable legislation.
After Abdullahi's lawyer appealed for a lighter sentence, Justice Egwuatu sentenced the convict to five years in prison or a fine of N2 million. The judge ordered that the fine, if paid, must go directly into the Federal Government's Treasury Single Account. He also ruled that Abdullahi must remain in custody until the fine is settled, while any time already spent in detention would count towards the five-year term.
In the second case, Sulaiman was convicted of carrying out BDC operations through Sly Exclusive Multi Concept without obtaining the required CBN approval. He received the same sentence: five years in prison or a N2 million fine.
Signal for illegal BDC operators
The twin judgments serve as a reminder that any business offering Bureau De Change services in Nigeria must first secure valid regulatory approval from the CBN before commencing operations. The CBN recently maintained its $150,000 weekly foreign exchange purchase ceiling for licensed BDC operators, publishing new operational guidelines that govern how they can access dollars through authorised dealer banks in the NFEM.
For unlicensed operators, the court's message is clear: the cost of bypassing CBN rules now includes a prison term and a hefty fine, not just regulatory enforcement.