The conviction was handed down on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, by a Kano court following charges brought against her for spraying and mutilating banknotes in viral social media videos.

The Kano Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of popular TikTok influencer, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, over the abuse of the Nigerian currency, the naira.

The conviction was handed down on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, by a Kano court following charges brought against her for spraying and mutilating banknotes in viral social media videos.

In an unprecedented twist, the court, while sentencing Kunya, also appointed her as an Ambassador for both the EFCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to spearhead online advocacy campaigns against naira abuse.

The decision was based on her massive influence on social media platforms, particularly among Nigerian youths.

Justice Simone Amobeda of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano handed Kunya a six-month jail term following her guilty plea to a one-count amended charge bordering on the abuse and mutilation of the Naira—an offence punishable under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act.

The EFCC, in a statement released Wednesday, said that Kunya was initially arrested in January 2025 after a viral video showed her spraying Naira notes during a hotel party at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano.

 She was granted administrative bail by the Commission but later absconded, failing to appear in court as required.

After weeks of evading arrest, EFCC operatives re-arrested her on Sunday, March 16, 2025. She was subsequently arraigned before the court on May 20, where she pleaded guilty.

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.”

Following her guilty plea, counsel for the prosecution, Musa Isah, reviewed the facts of the case and prayed the court to convict her accordingly.

Meanwhile, delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Amobeda convicted Kunya and sentenced her to six months' imprisonment with an option of a N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira only) fine.

The statement read, "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."

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