A Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State, has convicted and sentenced Iziga Jude Ikechukwu, a 24-year-old palm kernel dealer identified by the alias 'Easy-money', to a year in prison for the offense of abusing Naira currency during a birthday celebration. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Enugu Zonal Directorate, had brought Ikechukwu before the court on March 26, 2026, facing a single charge related to the mutilation of N81,700.00.
The charge sheet stated that on February 22, 2026, at Embassy Hotel in Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, Ikechukwu celebrated his birthday by dancing and stepping on Naira notes totaling Eighty-one thousand, Seven hundred Naira (N81, 700.00). This act was deemed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.
Ikechukwu entered a guilty plea to the accusation.
Following his plea, Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo handed down the sentence of one year imprisonment, commencing from the date of his arraignment. An option of a N300,000.00 (Three hundred thousand Naira) fine was also granted.
Furthermore, the court ordered that the N81,700.00 recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
Operatives of the EFCC apprehended Ikechukwu at his residence in the timber market area of Enugu-ezike on February 28, 2026. The arrest followed intelligence received by the commission, triggered by a viral video on social media. The footage showed Ikechukwu recording himself as he allegedly abused Naira notes in his hotel room during his birthday festivities. He was subsequently charged to court and convicted for the offense.
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