Murja Ibrahim Kunya, a well-known social media influencer, was tried before Justice Simone Amobeda at the state’s Federal High Court and found guilty by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano State Directorate.
According to what was understood, Kunya was arrested for reportedly making fun of naira notes while lodging at the Tahir Guest Palace in Kano.
In January 2025, she was first arrested for violating the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, which prohibits the naira’s misuse and mutilation.
The commission granted her administrative bail while she awaited her arraignment before the Federal High Court in Kano. She did not, however, show up for court in an effort to avoid the legal processes.
After weeks of intensive investigation and monitoring, the TikTok influencer was successfully apprehended again by EFCC agents on Sunday, March 16, 2025. She then pled guilty to the one-count modified charge at her arraignment on May 20, 2025.
“On December 28, 2023, at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, while dancing in one of the rooms at Tahir Guest Palace, you Murja Ibrahim Kunya tampered with Naira notes issued by Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying and matching on the same on said occasion, and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.” is the charge against Kunya.
Musa Isah, the prosecution’s attorney, examined the case’s facts after she entered a guilty plea and asked the court to find her guilty.
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Judge Amobeda’s decision on Wednesday found Kunya guilty and sentenced her to six months in prison, with the option to pay a fine of ₦50,000 (only fifty thousand naira).
Due to her substantial following on many social media platforms, Justice Amobeda also issued a subsequent decree designating her as an Ambassador for the EFCC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in charge of spearheading online advocacy efforts against the misuse of the Naira.
This order mandates that Kunya use her social media following to educate her followers on the value of respecting Nigerian cash and the legal penalties for misusing or damaging it.
