- Bobrisky was convicted for abuse of the Naira and asked for pardon, promising to educate his fans about the issue.
- The EFCC filed charges related to Naira abuse and alleged money laundering, with the latter two counts dismissed.
- Bobrisky was arrested and detained by the EFCC following a video report of him spraying new Naira notes at a movie premiere.
- The EFCC faced criticism from Chidi Odinkalu, who described the commission’s action as an abuse of power, leading to a response from the EFCC.
On April 9, 2024, the controversial cross-dresser, Okuneye Idris, better known as Bobrisky, was sentenced to six months in prison jail by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos. This sentence was handed down following Bobrisky’s conviction on charges of naira abuse, which were brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). On their Instagram page, The EFCC wrote;
“Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 12, 2024, sentenced Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, to six months imprisonment over mutilation of the Naira notes.
.
.
He was arraigned on Friday, April 5, 2024 on a four-count charge bordering on mutilation of the Naira notes to the tune of N490, 000, 00 (Four Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira).
.
.
Count one reads: “That you, OKUNEYE IDRIS OLANREWAJU, on the 24th day of March, 2024, at Imax Circle Mal, Jakande, Lekki, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst dancing during a social event, tampered with the total sum of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”
.
.
He pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
.
.
At the last sitting, the prosecution counsel, S.I. Sulaiman, urged the court to allow the investigating officer, ASE I Bolaji Temitope Aje, to give a brief review of the facts against him.
.
.
Aje narrated to the court that the EFCC received intelligence on some individuals, who are in the habit of mutilating and spraying the Naira notes at social parties and event centres in Lagos.
.
.
According to him, “Based on intelligence, the EFCC set up the Special Operations Team to observe and monitor activities of individuals, who are involved in the habit of mutilating the Naira.
.
.
“The team visited many event centres and monitored social media pages, where the Naira was being abused. During the course of the monitoring, the team came across videos on social media, where the defendant was seen abusing the Naira. The team then proceeded to download these videos via our office laptop computers and also went further to copy these videos on compact discs”.
Bobrisky was arrested and detained by the EFCC on April 3, 2024, following a video report of him spraying new Naira notes at the premiere of Eniola Ajao’s movie titled, ‘Ajakaju’, held at FilmOne Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos, on March 24, 2024. The EFCC filed a six-count charge against him, with the first four counts related to Naira abuse, and the last two counts concerning alleged money laundering. However, the EFCC prosecutor requested the court to dismiss counts five and six, leaving Bobrisky to plead guilty to the four-count charge of Naira abuse.
During his court appearance, Bobrisky expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he was not aware of the laws binding the Naira abuse and vowed to educate his fans on social media about it. He emphasized that he was a first-time offender and a social media influencer with over five million followers, assuring that he would use his platform to spread awareness about the consequences of spraying money.
Justice Awogboro’s sentence was intended to serve as a deterrent to others who might be tempted to abuse and mutilate the Naira. Bobrisky was ordered to be held in EFCC custody until his sentencing, which was scheduled for April 9, 2024.
Following his sentencing, Bobrisky was seen leaving the court premises with a significant amount of designer luggage, which drew attention to his lifestyle and the contrast between his public persona and the legal consequences of his actions. This incident highlighted the disparity between the lavish lifestyle often associated with Bobrisky and the serious legal repercussions he faced as a result of his actions.
