Two social media influencers, Bukola Rufai and Abdulateef Jimoh, have been convicted by a Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, for abusing naira notes in a TikTok video.
Justice Uche Agomoh gave the ruling after both were found guilty of stepping on and spraying naira notes during a public event. The video was posted online and quickly went viral.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, through its Ibadan Zonal Directorate, charged the pair on a one-count offence related to currency mutilation. The EFCC said the act was against Section 21 (3) of the Central Bank Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the same law.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the offence took place on September 25, 2024.
The charge read, “That you Bukola Rufai and Abdulateef Jimoh on or about the 25th day of September, 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did match on Naira Notes, issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty. The prosecution counsel, Lanre Suleiman, then presented evidence, including the viral video, and urged the court to convict and sentence them.
Their lawyer, O.D. Ajadi, begged the court to be lenient, saying they were first-time offenders and had shown remorse for their actions.
The judge convicted the two without jail time but gave them the option of paying a N50,000 fine each.
The EFCC said the video clip, which clearly showed the influencers spraying and trampling on naira notes, was what led to their arrest and trial.
