Still in Ikoyi Prison, Bobrisky Didn’t Commit a Capital Offense, Per Official

The controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, was sentenced to six months in prison for abusing naira notes. The Nigeria Correctional Service has denied any knowledge of this and stated that it was transferred from the Ikoyi correctional center to its other facility in Kirikiri, Lagos State.

It was claimed last weekend that Bobrisky had been quietly moved to Kirikiri Prison, where he was supposed to serve out his sentence.

On Thursday, PUNCH Metro was informed by an NCoS officer that he remained detained at the Ikoyi prison.

The defendant did not commit a major offense that would have justified his transfer to a maximum prison, which houses most inmates serving life sentences or death sentences, according to the official, who begged to remain anonymous because he was not allowed to comment on the subject.

“Bobrisky has not been moved, he is still here in Ikoyi. He was not sentenced to death and didn’t get a life sentence either. Those people sentenced to death and given life sentences are mostly kept in the maximum prison. That is mostly based on capital punishment. As for Bobrisky, he didn’t commit a capital offence, so why would they take him to Kirikiri,” the source said.

Moving some inmates across the state’s detention centers was still being discussed, according to another official, who also wished to remain anonymous because he lacked the official authority to communicate with the media.

The change was made for decongestion, the NCoS spokesman continued.

“Sometimes, when we discover that the population of inmates is much in a facility, we decide to move them just to decongest. We are only considering that at the moment and not that anyone has been moved. If the prison authorities want to move, they have the right. We also do so if the person has a communicable disease or because the inmate requested it for proximity to the family or an appeal on humanitarian grounds.

“The leadership might also say, ‘Let’s spread those who have less than one year sentence’, which may apply to Bobrisky, just to create space for those awaiting trial. But such people rarely go to the maximum prison,” the source disclosed.

Contacts to Rotimi Oladokun, the NCS spokesperson for the Lagos State Command, were not returned. As of the time this report was filed, he had not replied to a text message.

PUNK According to Metro, the transvestite was checked out at the time of admittance and found to have neither a gender realignment nor a genital organ realignment. He also reportedly shares a cell with male prisoners.

Our correspondent was informed by an official source that the convicted transvestite had been according to the guidelines and protocols established within the facility.

On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Bobrisky was taken into custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Bobrisky was invited, according to the commission, because of a video that purportedly showed him showering fresh naira notes during the March 24, 2024, FilmOne Circle Mall in Lekki, Lagos, during the premiere of Eniola Ajao’s film “Ajakaju.”

On Friday, April 5, 2024, a Federal High Court in Lagos found him guilty of the naira abuse allegations brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC filed six charges against him, the latter two of which dealt with alleged money laundering and the first four of which were about naira abuse.

The EFCC prosecutor asked the court to dismiss counts five and six prior to the charges being read.

Bobrisky entered a guilty plea on all four charges of misusing naira. He requested a pardon prior to his conviction, stating that he was ignorant of the regulations against naira misuse and promising to inform his followers on social media about it.