From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Justice Simone Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano on Wednesday, May 28, convicted and sentenced social media influencer Murja Ibrahim Kunya for naira abuse.
Kunya was arrested by the Kano Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly spraying and trampling on naira notes while dancing at Tahir Guest Palace Hotel in Kano on December 28, 2023.
She was initially arrested in January 2025 for violating Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007, which prohibits the abuse and mutilation of the naira. She was granted administrative bail by the EFCC pending her arraignment but absconded, evading legal processes.
After weeks of intensive investigation and surveillance, EFCC operatives re-arrested Kunya on Sunday, March 16. She was arraigned on May 20, where she pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge.
The charge 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.”
Following her guilty plea, prosecution counsel Musa Isah reviewed the case facts and urged the court to convict her. Justice Amobeda sentenced Kunya to six months’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦50,000 fine.
In a rehabilitative measure, Justice Amobeda appointed Kunya as an Ambassador for the EFCC and CBN in online advocacy campaigns against naira abuse, leveraging her substantial social media following to educate her audience on respecting Nigerian currency and the legal consequences of its abuse.