Keypoints:
- Influencer jailed for spraying naira at party
- Court gives fine option and social media order
- EFCC intensifies crackdown on currency abuse
A FEDERAL High Court in Kano, northern Nigeria, has sentenced Nigerian TikTok star Murja Kunya to six months in prison for publicly abusing the national currency by ‘spraying’ naira notes at a party — a practice deemed illegal under Nigerian law.
Kunya, 26, who boasts over one million followers on TikTok, pleaded guilty to the offence on Wednesday. Presiding judge Justice Simon Amobeda offered her the alternative of paying a ₦50,000 ($33) fine. He also ordered Kunya to launch an awareness campaign against currency abuse using her large social media following.
The sentencing underscores the Nigerian government’s renewed crackdown on naira misuse, particularly among influencers and celebrities who popularise banned practices online.
TikTok fame turns to notoriety
Murja Kunya has long been a controversial figure, repeatedly attracting the attention of law enforcement for her videos. Her latest legal troubles began in January when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested her following the circulation of a video showing her spraying naira notes in a Kano hotel room.
Though she was initially granted bail, Kunya failed to appear in court for arraignment, prompting a search by EFCC officials. After a brief period on the run, she was rearrested in March and finally arraigned, where she admitted guilt.
Cultural tradition meets legal crackdown
‘Spraying’ money — tossing naira notes into the air at weddings and celebrations — is a widely practised custom in Nigeria. However, under Section 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act (2007), it is a punishable offence to abuse or mutilate the national currency.
Authorities argue that such practices degrade the value and dignity of the naira. The EFCC has since 2023 intensified enforcement of the law, targeting high-profile individuals in a bid to discourage the public from engaging in naira abuse.
Under the legislation, offenders face up to six months in jail or a fine of ₦50,000. Several entertainers and socialites have recently been prosecuted as part of the agency’s public enforcement drive.
Critics question selective enforcement
While the government defends the law as necessary to protect national symbols, critics argue that enforcement has often been inconsistent. Civil liberties advocates have called for clearer public education campaigns rather than what they view as selective arrests of influencers for publicity.
In Kunya’s case, the court has opted to combine punitive and restorative approaches — penalising her while also mandating her to use her platform to educate her audience on the consequences of currency abuse.
How effectively she fulfils that mandate, and whether it signals a shift in enforcement strategy, remains to be seen. But what is certain is that Nigeria’s war on naira spraying has moved into the social media space — and its most visible players are now firmly in the spotlight.
