A FEDERAL High Court in Lagos has convicted crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, but reserved its judgment till April 9.
The judge, Abimbola Awogboro, in his ruling on Friday, April 5, ordered that Bobrisky be placed in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pending the judgment.
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Awogboro convicted the accused after reviewing the facts of the case.
In his response, Bobrisky told the court that he was unaware of the law regarding abusing naira.
He informed the court that he is a social media influencer with over five million followers.
The judge, Awogboro, then told him that ignorance of the law was not an excuse.
“I would do a video on my page and I will educate people about spraying money.
“I will not repeat it again (sic). I regret my actions,” he said.
Bobrisky was arraigned on four counts of naira abuse preferred against him by the EFCC.
The crossdresser, who prides himself as “Mummy of Lagos”, pleaded guilty to the charges.
However, before the charges were read, the EFCC’s counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, asked the court to strike out counts five and six concerning money laundering allegations.
Awogboro subsequently struck them out.
This paved the way for the arraignment of the accused on only counts one to four.
A lawyer, Ayo Olumofin, appeared for Bobrisky.
The EFCC witness, Bolaji Temitope, an assistant superintendent of the EFCC, said that during the investigation, the team discovered a video in which the defendant was seen mutilating the naira notes, which led to the EFCC inviting him.
According to him, the defendant honoured the invitation. When he arrived at the EFCC office, he was cautioned and then volunteered to make a statement.
The witness told the court that the defendant was then shown a video where he was spraying money on an artiste called Segun Johnson, adding that the defendant confessed and admitted that he was the person in the video.
He said that the defendant was also shown a video of him at Circle Mall Lekki, where he sprayed N400,000 at a movie premier, adding that the defendant again admitted he was the one.
He told the court that the defendant was also shown other videos of him spraying money at Ajah and Ikorodu junction in Lagos, and the defendant still admitted he was the one who did it.
The court, consequently, admitted the exhibits and marked them A, B1 and B2.
The prosecutor, then urged the court to convict the defendant as charged based on the case as presented by the EFCC.
The crossdresser, who had been in the EFCC detention since Wednesday, April 4, failed to meet the administrative bail offered to him on Thursday.
The ICIR reported that the EFCC arrested and detained Bobrisky in Lagos State for naira abuse and currency mutilation.
Media reports said EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed that Bobrisky had been arrested, not for his lifestyle as a crossdresser but for abusing the naira.
Over the past few days, Bobrisky has been on the news for several controversial reasons, including winning the ‘Best Dressed Female’ at a movie premiere in Lagos.
While there was an outcry by Nigerians for his arrest, a report by The ICIR showed that there is no law in Nigeria yet that criminalises cross-dressing.
The Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, also confirmed in a report by The ICIR that the country had no law allowing the police to arrest and charge crossdressers in court.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance