Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State, has convicted and sentenced Iziga Jude Ikechukwu, also known as Easy-money, to one year imprisonment for abusing naira notes during his birthday celebration.
The 24-year-old palm kernel dealer was arraigned by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on March 26, 2026, on a one-count charge bordering on mutilation of Naira notes to the tune of N81,700.
The charge read: “That you, Iziga Jude Ikechukwu on 22nd February 2026, at Embassy Hotel Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while celebrating your birthday, you danced and matched on the sum of Eighty-one thousand, Seven hundred Naira (N81,700) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. You thereby committed an offence to wit: mutilation, contrary to and punishable under Section 21 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007”.
Ikechukwu pleaded guilty to the charge. Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo convicted him on the spot and sentenced him to one year imprisonment from the date of arraignment, with an option of a N300,000 fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the recovered N81,700 to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
The conviction marks the latest development in a case that began when Ikechukwu was arrested on February 28, 2026, at his residence around the Timber Market in Enugu-Ezike. EFCC operatives acted on actionable intelligence from a viral social media video showing him recording himself abusing the Naira notes inside a hotel room during the birthday party.
