Court Jails ‘TobiNation’ And ‘TDollar’ For Naira Abuse In Lagos

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has obtained the conviction and sentencing of Babatunde Peter Olaitan and Tobilola Olamide to six months in prison each for defacing Naira notes.

They were incarcerated on Thursday, May 8, 2025, by Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court located in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The offenders were charged separately on a single count of tampering with Naira notes by spraying them, to which they both pleaded “guilty”.

The charge against Olaitan states: “That you, BABATUNDE PETER OLAITAN, on 8th April 2025, at 23, Macdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N200 (Two Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying it, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”

The charge against Olamide states: “That you, TOBILOLA OLAMIDE A.K.A TobiNation, on 8th April 2025, at 23 Macdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N200 (Two Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying it, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”

Following their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel C.C. Okezie and H.U. KofarNaisa presented the case details through Ibrahim Bukar, an EFCC investigative officer.

Bukar informed the court that on April 10, 2025, the Commission launched an intelligence-driven investigation based on a TikTok video where Olaitan, also known as TDollar, was observed spraying Naira notes.

He further explained that “Upon the approval of the intelligence by the Zonal Director, a letter of investigation was sent to the defendant, requesting him to make a statement regarding the video.

“The defendant reported to the Special Operations Team, SOT, on May 5, 2025 and his statement was recorded under caution.

“He stated that he went to a night club on April 8, 2025 and met some of his fans sharing money.

“He also said that a fan, in the process, gifted him a bundle of N200 notes, which he sprayed on some of his other fans.

“He was shown a video of him spraying the money and he made a statement regarding it.”

As a result, the court accepted the defendants’ extrajudicial statements and video recordings as evidence.

Okozie and KofarNaisa subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Justice Owoeye found Olaitan and Olamide guilty, sentencing each to six months in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).

The convicts’ path to the Correctional Centre began with their arrest by EFCC operatives for Naira abuse, followed by their prosecution and conviction in court.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli