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5 U.S. citizens released as prisoner swap with Iran goes ahead

5 U.S. citizens released as prisoner swap with Iran goes ahead

Swap

Washington, Sept. 18, 2023 (dpa/NAN) Five U.S. citizens were on their way from Tehran to Qatar as part of prisoner exchange between Tehran and Washington, a high-ranking U.S. official said on Monday.

Two family members were also on the plane, the official said.

It has been known for several weeks that the U.S. and Iran were negotiating a prisoner exchange.

In August, Iran’s judiciary released several U.S. citizens from detention and transferred them to house arrest in apparent preparation for the swap.

One of the best known is the businessman, Siamak Namazi, who holds both U.S. and Iranian citizenship.

He was imprisoned in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.

On the U.S. side, in return, five Iranians who were convicted or charged with non-violent crimes were being granted clemency.

As part of the deal, Iran had demanded the release of about 6 billion dollars in funds that were frozen in South Korea because of international sanctions.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the funds had arrived in Qatar. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

COO/SA

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Salif Atojoko

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  • Kado
  • Jan, Sun, 2023
General news

Adamawa residents laud Buhari over naira swap extension

Naira
By Ibrahim Kado
Yola, Jan. 29, 2023 (NAN) Some residents of Adamawa have lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for approving a 10-day extension for the swapping of old naira notes with the new ones.

The residents, who spoke the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Sunday, described the extension as a welcome development.

Alhaji Muhammad Gombi, Managing Director Almaf Global Services Limited, Jimeta, said that the approval would enable more people to get the new banknotes for business transaction without difficulty.

He noted that the Jan. 31 deadline earlier fixed by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had affected some traders in their businesses due to difficulties in accessing the new banknotes.

Gombi, however, warned traders against having more cash in their hands, urging them to embrace cashless transactions for their day-to-day business transactions.

Alhaji Ibrahim Baba-tsoho, a resident of Yola, also expressed delight with the extension, saying it would reduce tension among Nigerians, especially the petty traders.

He said that before the extension, business transactions had dropped drastically in the area, owing to scarcity of the new notes.

Baba-tsoho called on CBN and other relevant authorities to work hard on sensitisation and awareness creation, particularly at the grassroots, on the motive behind the redesigned naira notes.

According to him, some people have yet to understand the policy, hence the need for more awareness.

He called on commercial banks to also visit people at the grassroots with a view to assisting them to open accounts, stressing that this would help them to deposit their old notes in the bank.

Mrs Fatima Abubakar, a tailor, who said that the policy was good for the country, expressed happiness with the extension. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
IMK/BKD/WAS
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq