Court jails popular Nigerian content creators for Naira abuse

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is intentional about punishing individuals who abuse the naira.

This action has recently secured the conviction of two content creators, Tobilola Olamide, AKA “TobiNation,” and Babatunde Peter Olaitan, also known as “TDollar”, for abusing the Naira in Lagos.

The EFCC convicted them on Monday before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, with Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.

According to the EFCC, both defendants were arrested after a viral video showed them spraying and stepping on naira notes during a social event. They were arraigned on a one-count charge each – tampering with the naira, a violation of Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.

TobiNation and TDollar pleaded guilty to the charges. Justice Aneke convicted and sentenced each of them to six months in prison, with an option of a ₦200,000 fine.

This development is part of the EFCC’s ongoing disciplinary action on naira abuse, which has recently seen a rise in high-profile arrests and prosecutions, especially among public figures like Bobrisky, who was sentenced to prison for naira abuse.

Plea

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel C.C. Okezie and H.U. Kofarnaisa, respectively, reviewed the facts of the cases through Ibrahim Bukar, an investigative officer with the EFCC.

In his evidence, Mr Bukar specifically told the court that the Commission, on 10 April 2025, generated an intelligence-driven investigation on TikTok, where Olaitan, also known as TDollar, was seen spraying Naira notes.

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He also told the court that “Upon the approval of the intelligence by the Zonal Director, a letter of investigation was sent to the defendant, requesting him to make a statement regarding the video.

“The defendant reported to the Special Operations Team, SOT, on 5 May 2025, and his statement was recorded under caution. He said he went to a nightclub on 8 April 2025 and met some of his fans sharing money.

He also said that a fan, in the process, gifted him a bundle of N200 notes, which he sprayed on some of his other fans. He was shown a video of him spraying the money and made a statement regarding it.

Consequently, the defendants’ extrajudicial statements and video recordings were rendered and admitted into evidence by the court. Okozie and KofarNaisa, therefore, respectively prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Section 21 of the CBN Act, 2007 states that all acts that constitute Naira abuse are punishable by imprisonment for not less than six months or a fine not less than N50,000 or both.

The act further defines the abuse of the Naira as spraying, dancing or stepping on it, selling or trading Naira notes or coins for a higher value, and mutilation, defacement, and soiling of the Naira.

Close lscal

Recently, actor and producer, Iyabo Ojo was invited by the commission over claims of naira abuse at her daughter’s wedding ceremony.

She revealed that the EFCC officials clarified that spraying money, including on people’s bodies, is prohibited.

“I was surprised to learn that spraying any currency, including Dollars, is also prohibited”, she said.

Socialite and philanthropist, Emeka Okonkwo, popularly known as E-money, started the month of May with an arrest by the EFCC for abusing the Naira.

In a statement on his Instagram page, the businessman clarified that the EFCC disapproved of money spraying at social functions.

E-Money wrote, “Attention! The EFCC reminds us that spraying Naira (or so, any currency) at parties or events is against the law. Let’s celebrate responsibly and avoid fines. Respect our currency. If you must give money at a party, make sure you put it in a basket, a bowl or a box in front of the person at the party and don’t drop any currency on the floor.”