An image purportedly showing controversial cross-dresser Okuneye Idris, also known as Bobrisky, inside the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has surfaced online.
The image is circulating alongside a claim that his masculine features have begun to surface amid his travail in the custody of the anti-graft agency.
Bobrisky was arrested on April 3 and convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday, April 5, 2024, after pleading guilty to the charges of naira abuse levelled against him by the EFCC.
Read Also:
- Court convicts Bobrisky, reserves judgment till April 9
- Why we can’t arrest Bobrisky, other cross-dressers – Police
- What does Nigerian law say about cross-dressing?
The EFCC filed a six-count against Bobrisky, with the first four counts related to Naira abuse and the last two counts concerning alleged money laundering.
However, the EFCC prosecutor later requested from the court to dismiss counts five and six.
Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the four-count charge of Naira abuse. He, however, asked to be pardoned.
The court, however, reserved sentence until April 9 but ordered that Bobrisky be remanded in custody of the EFCC pending the sentence.
However, the case could no longer proceed following the declaration of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as public holidays by the Federal Government to mark Sallah.
An X user, @Irunnia posted the image purportedly showing Bobrisky in custody with a caption :
“Bobrisky hairline and beard don dey show in prison. You can never cheat nature.”
The post has generated over 300 reposts and more than 1000 likes as of April 11, 2024.
Another X user, @drpenking posted the image with a caption :
“Nigeria prison is not where anyone should go to. Guess who is in the picture.”
The post has generated over 100 reposts and more than. 600 likes as of April 11, 2024.
THE CLAIM
Photo shows the current state of Bobrisky inside EFCC custody.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
When subjected to Google Reverse image search, the result shows that the image has been online since 2017 when he was first arrested. An earlier version of the image can be seen here and here.
In November 2017, Bobrisky was arrested in Lekki, Lagos after a petition written against him by Toyin Lawani that he stole her customers.
The image was circulated online by bloggers after the incident.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows Bobrisky’s current state in the detention is MISLEADING. Findings show that the image has been online since 2017.
This report is republished from the Factcheckhub.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.
I believe the reason the Nigeria govt. is still holding this guy ransom is because of a gay sh*t nothing else.