Nigerian singer Terry Apala has opened up about the emotional and mental toll of spending more than three weeks at the Ikoyi Correctional Center following his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged naira mutilation.
In a recent interview with Hip TV, the “Champagne Showers” crooner described how a seemingly routine EFCC visit turned into a long and distressing ordeal.
“When we got to the EFCC, they collected my phone. I thought it was just going to be the normal process — write a statement, pay the penalty, and go. My lawyer was trying to talk to them, but they said they would have to detain me. I still thought maybe two or three days and I’d be out,” Terry recalled.
The singer explained that after being charged with naira mutilation, he pleaded not guilty, believing the matter would be resolved quickly. However, the judge handling his case went on vacation, leaving him remanded in custody for several weeks.
“I was there for three weeks and some days. One of the officers even asked what I was still doing there for a naira mutilation case. I got depressed. I couldn’t eat. I kept wondering why my own case was taking so long. Things were happening outside, and I was just there doing nothing,” he said.
Terry Apala also expressed his frustration toward social media commentator VeryDarkMan, whose viral video initially sparked the controversy that led to his arrest.
“Honestly, during that period, I was angry with VeryDarkMan. I was swearing for him. Bro, you’re not even sure of this thing, and you just posted. Me and DJ Tunes paid that person, and they carried the matter like that,” he said.
The artist described his stay in detention as mentally draining and traumatizing, saying it was painful to be portrayed as a criminal over what he insists was a misunderstanding.
Terry Apala was arrested after a video surfaced online showing him stepping on naira notes at a Lagos event, an act prohibited under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, which forbids the abuse of the national currency.
