Ten people have been convicted in Delta and Edo after pleading guilty to spraying and mutilating the naira at social events.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Benin Zonal Directorate, has secured the convictions of 10 people for naira abuse in separate cases before the Federal High Court in Delta and Edo states.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Monday.
According to the EFCC, the convicts are Lucky Onoberhie, Happy Isioma, Friday Ehiedu, Collins Albert, Okorie Builder, Ernest Achieme, Isicheli Chijioke, Nwosu Davison, Enadegh Agbonmware and Lucky Osaro.
The commission said the defendants were prosecuted for tampering with the naira by spraying it while dancing at social events, an offence under Section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.
One of the charges filed against Mr Achieme alleged that he sprayed N50,000 in N200 denominations while dancing at a wedding ceremony in Kwale, Delta State, on 31 December 2025.
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, asked the courts to convict and sentence them.
Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court in Asaba convicted Messrs Onoberhie, Isioma, Ehiedu, Albert, Builder, Achieme, Chijioke, and Davison, sentencing each to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine.
In a separate judgement, Justice C. A. Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Benin City sentenced Mr Agbonmware to six months’ imprisonment or a N100,000 fine after convicting him for spraying the naira.
The judge also convicted Mr Osaro for a similar offence and imposed the same sentence of six months’ imprisonment or a N100,000 fine.
The EFCC said all the convicts signed written undertakings to be of good conduct in the future.
The commission added that the convicts were arrested and prosecuted for abusing the naira in violation of existing laws prohibiting the practice.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported in February how a Nigerian actress was sentenced to six months imprisonment by a federal high court for abuse of the naira.