A Federal High Court in Kano has handed down jail sentences to a TikTok content creator, Abubakar Ibrahim, popularly known as ‘G-Fresh’, and a musician, Hamisu Sa’id Yusuf, known as Hamisu Breaker, for defacing the Nigerian currency.
Justice S.M. Shuaibu convicted the duo after they were arraigned by the Kano Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate one-count charges of Naira abuse, in violation of Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007.
According to a statement released by the EFCC on Friday, Ibrahim’s charge stated: “That you Abubakar Ibrahim sometime in November, 2024 in Rahma Sa ídu Shop in Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing sprayed and matched on 1000 Naira notes denomination totalling ((₦14,000) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”
Yusuf’s charge read: “That you Hamisu Sa íd Yusuf sometime in November, 2024 at Hadejia Jigawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) of N200 denomination issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”
Both men admitted guilt when their respective charges were read in court.
Following their guilty pleas and the presentation of evidence by EFCC prosecutor Zarami Mohammed, Justice Shuaibu convicted them accordingly. Each was sentenced to five months in prison, with an alternative option to pay a fine of ₦200,000.
Their legal troubles began after videos emerged showing them spraying currency notes at different events, an act considered a violation of Nigerian monetary regulations
