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A man identified as Okoli Emeka has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for defacing Naira notes during an event held in Isheri-Olofin, within the Alimosho area of Lagos.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed this in a statement released on Friday, revealing that the defendant was arraigned by its Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.
PUNCH Online learnt that Emeka allegedly defaced a total of two million Naira during the event last year, a claim supported by video evidence presented to the court.
Emeka faced a single-count charge of tampering with and stepping on Naira notes before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The charge reads: “That you, Okoli Frank Emeka, on the 18th day of August, 2024, at Al-Moruf Garden, Isheri Olofin, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst stepping on the Naira notes during a social occasion, tampered with the sum of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by stepping on the same at the said occasion, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”
Upon hearing the charge, Emeka pleaded guilty. Following this, the prosecution counsel, Z.B. Atiku, presented a summary of the case through Sa’id Sada Sani, an EFCC investigator.
In his testimony, Sani stated that the Commission launched an intelligence-led investigation after a viral video surfaced showing the defacement of Naira notes.
He further explained, “Surveillance was carried out, leading to the arrest of the defendant on May 15, 2025.
“He was shown a video of himself spraying the money and subsequently made a statement regarding the incident.”
The court accepted the defendant’s statements and the video recordings as evidence.
Atiku then urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.
Justice Aneke found Emeka guilty and sentenced him to six months imprisonment, with the option of paying a fine of N250,000 as an alternative.
