By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
The Federal High Court in Kano has sentenced popular TikTok influencer, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, to six months in prison for abusing the Nigerian currency.
The court also appointed her as a social media ambassador to campaign against Naira abuse.
Justice Simone Amobeda handed down the sentence on Wednesday, following Kunya’s guilty plea to a one-count charge brought against her by the Kano Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The judge gave Kunya an option of a N50,000 fine in place of the custodial sentence.
However, in an unusual and reformative twist, the court directed that the influencer should leverage her significant online following to advocate for the protection of the Naira.
“She is hereby appointed as an ambassador of the EFCC and Central Bank of Nigeria in online campaigns against Naira abuse,” the judge ruled.
Kunya, who boasts a large audience across TikTok and other social platforms, was arrested for spraying and stepping on Naira notes while dancing in a hotel room at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano on December 28, 2023.
She initially evaded prosecution after being granted administrative bail in January 2025. EFCC operatives eventually re-arrested her on March 16 following weeks of surveillance, and she was arraigned on May 20.
The EFCC’s charge noted that her actions violated Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which prohibits the abuse or mutilation of currency notes.
Following her conviction, the EFCC expressed satisfaction with the outcome, describing it as a bold step toward combating the growing trend of currency abuse in Nigeria’s digital age.
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