Court jails 10 for naira abuse in Delta, Edo — EFCC

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The Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction of 10 persons for mutilating and abusing the naira in Delta and Edo states.

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The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement shared on its official page on Monday.

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According to the EFCC, the convicts were prosecuted before Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State, and Justice (Prof.) C. A. Obiozor of the Federal High Court, Benin City.

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Those convicted are Lucky Onoberhie, Happy Joseph Isioma, Friday Ehiedu, Collins Ndudi Albert, Okorie Builder, Ernest Achieme, Isicheli Desmond Chijioke, Nwosu Davison, Enadegh Agbonmware and Lucky Osaro.

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The commission said they were arrested for spraying the naira while dancing at parties, an act it said contravenes Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.

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One of the charges against Achieme read:

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“That you Ernest Achieme (m) on or about the 31st December, 2025 at Kwale… whilst dancing at a wedding ceremony tampered with the sum of N50,000.00… in N200 denomination issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”

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The EFCC said all the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges after they were read to them, following which “the prosecution counsel, K. W. Chukwuma-Eneh, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.”

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Justice Olubanjo thereafter convicted Onoberhie, Isioma, Ehiedu, Ndudi, Builder, Achieme, Chijioke and Davison, sentencing each of them to “12 months imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.”

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Similarly, Justice Obiozor convicted Agbonmware and sentenced him to “six months imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 for spraying the naira,” while Osaro received “six months imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 for a similar offence.”

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The EFCC further disclosed that “all the convicts undertook in writing to be of good conduct going forward.”

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It added that the defendants were “arrested and prosecuted for abusing the naira, contrary to extant laws against such a practice.”

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The convictions add to the EFCC’s ongoing crackdown on naira abuse, with the commission repeatedly warning Nigerians that spraying, mutilating or otherwise mishandling the country’s currency at social events is a criminal offence punishable under the Central Bank of Nigeria Act.

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