A federal high court in Kano has sentenced a popular TikToker Murja Ibrahim Kunya, to six months in prison for naira abuse.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano State Directorate, had arrested Kunya for allegedly playfully spraying naira notes while staying in a hotel room at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano.
The anti-graft agency stated that Kunya’s arrest occurred in January 2025 for contravening the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, which forbids the misuse and mutilation of the naira.
She was granted administrative bail by the commission while awaiting her arraignment at the Federal High Court in Kano. However, she failed to appear in court, attempting to evade the legal proceedings.
However, after several weeks of thorough investigation and surveillance, EFCC operatives successfully re-arrested the TikTok influencer on Sunday, March 16, 2025. She was later arraigned on May 20, 2025, where she entered a guilty plea to the one-count amended charge.
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The charge against Kunya reads: “You Murja Ibrahim Kunya on the 28th of December, 2023 at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable 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.”
Counsel for the prosecution, Musa Isah, reviewed the facts of the case and prayed the court to convict her accordingly.
On Wednesday, Justice Amobeda delivered a ruling that found Kunya guilty and sentenced her to six months in prison, with the alternative of paying a fine of ₦50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira only).
Additionally, Justice Amobeda issued a consequential directive appointing her as an Ambassador for the EFCC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), tasked with leading online advocacy campaigns against the misuse of the Naira, owing to her significant following on various social media platforms.
This directive requires Kunya to leverage her social media influence to inform her audience about the importance of honouring the Nigerian currency and the legal repercussions associated with its abuse or damage.
