On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction and sentencing of social media influencer Murja Ibrahim Kunya before Justice Simone Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano.
Kunya was initially arrested in January 2025 after a video surfaced showing her spraying Naira notes for entertainment in a hotel room at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano—an act considered a violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, which prohibits the abuse and mutilation of the national currency. She was granted administrative bail pending arraignment but later absconded, evading the legal process.
Following weeks of surveillance and investigation, EFCC operatives re-arrested her on March 16, 2025. She was arraigned on May 20, 2025, and pleaded guilty to a one-count amended charge.
The charge read:
“You, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, on the 28th of December, 2023, at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, while dancing in one of the rooms at the said hotel, tampered with Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying and trampling on them, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”
After Kunya entered a guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, Musa Isah, presented a summary of the case and urged the court to convict her accordingly.
In his ruling, Justice Amobeda sentenced Kunya to six months in prison, with the option of a ₦50,000 fine.
In a notable aspect of the sentencing, Justice Amobeda also appointed Kunya as an ambassador for the EFCC and CBN in an online campaign against Naira abuse. Given her significant influence on social media, she is now mandated to use her platforms to educate the public on the importance of respecting the Naira and the legal repercussions of currency abuse.
This rehabilitative directive aims to turn her influence into a tool for public enlightenment on financial laws and civic responsibility.
