The Federal High Court in Kano today sentenced a popular social media influencer, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, for naira abuse.
The Kano State Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully prosecuted the case and secured the conviction from Justice Simone Amobeda.
Kunya was arrested for allegedly spraying naira notes for fun during her stay at Tahir Guest Palace, a hotel in Kano.
She was initially arrested in January 2025 for violating the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act which prohibits the abuse and mutilation of the Naira.
She was granted an administrative bail by the commission pending her arraignment before the Federal High Court in Kano.
However, when it was time for her court appearance, she absconded in her bid to evade the legal processes.
After weeks of intensive investigation and surveillance, EFCC operatives re-arrested her on Sunday, March 16 and was subsequently arraigned on May 20 where she pleaded guilty to the one-count amended charge.
The charge reads: “You Murja Ibrahim Kunya on the 28th of December, 2023 at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing in one of the rooms at Tahir Guest Palace tampered with Naira notes issued by Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying and matching on same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”
Following her guilty plea, counsel for the prosecution, Musa Isah, reviewed the facts of the case and prayed the court to convict her accordingly.
Delivering judgment on today, Justice Amobeda convicted Kunya and sentenced her to six months imprisonment with an option of N50,000 fine.
In a significant and rehabilitative dimension to the sentencing, Justice Amobeda also issued a consequential order appointing her as an Ambassador of EFCC and CBN in online advocacy campaigns against Naira abuse due to her substantial following across various social media platforms.
This order mandates Kunya to utilise her social media reach to educate her followers on the importance of respecting the Nigerian currency and the legal consequences of its abuse or mutilation.
