Eric Patrick
The Economic Financial Crimes Commission on Monday vowed to investigate ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, over alleged abuse of the naira notes.
The EFCC shared a photo of Tompolo on its social media pages with the caption, “Nobody is above the law. Tompolo will have questions to answer.”
The EFCC’s post comes in response to widespread public outrage sparked by a viral video that captured Tompolo being sprayed with ₦1,000 notes during his extravagant 54th birthday celebration in April.
The video, which was posted by an X user identified as Harrison and captioned “EFCC, see Tompolo and the Naira o,” quickly gained traction on X, reigniting accusations of selective enforcement by the agency.
According to section 21(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (as amended), “spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira or any note issued by the bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.”
The EFCC has consistently cautioned Nigerians that the mutilation or spraying of the naira is an offense that carries penalties.
Recall that in April 2024, a controversial socialite, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, was sentenced to six months in prison for naira abuse.
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First News had earlier reported that a Nigerian billionaire, Emeka Okonkwo, popularly known as E-Money, was arrested for allegedly spraying and defacing both naira and US dollars at public events.
Other Nigerian celebrities who were grilled by the EFCC for naira abuse include Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo and comedian Ayo Makun aka AY.
The comedian dismissed reports of his arrest in a statement, saying, “If you know that much about EFCC, you can’t be arrested and still have your phone,” he said. “An invitation and visit to the commission do not translate to arrest.”
The actress confirmed her invitation by the EFCC on May 5, 2025, in a statement shared on her Instagram account, noting that the invite was due to the spraying of both Naira and foreign currencies at the wedding.
In the statement, she also clarified that she was not arrested but was interrogated about the wedding video, which captured guests spraying money.