Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, has filed a N1.2 billion lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Assembly, alleging violations of his fundamental rights. The suit comes amid a controversy sparked by activist VeryDarkMan, who shared a purported audio conversation claiming Bobrisky paid N15 million to EFCC officials to have money laundering charges against him dropped.
Bobrisky was released from prison on August 5 after serving a six-month sentence for abusing the naira. In the disputed audio recording, Bobrisky also claimed that his “godfather” and Haliru Nababa, the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), arranged for him to serve his sentence in a private apartment rather than in prison. Bobrisky has denied the authenticity of the recording, threatening legal action against VeryDarkMan.
The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Financial Crimes and Reformatory Institutions responded by opening an investigation into the bribery allegations. The committee has invited Bobrisky, VeryDarkMan, Ola Olukoyode (EFCC chairman), and Nababa to appear before it.
In response, Bobrisky took to Instagram on Saturday to share a court file dated October 10, which he claims prohibits the EFCC and National Assembly from harassing, detaining, or declaring him wanted. In his lawsuit, Bobrisky accuses the EFCC of inviting him for investigation based on the unverified WhatsApp call shared by VeryDarkMan, which he argues was not properly authenticated before being used against him. He further alleges that the handling of the case led to public ridicule, threats, and an invasion of his privacy.
Bobrisky is seeking N200 million from the EFCC for the psychological trauma caused and N1 billion from the National Assembly for allegedly violating his right to a fair hearing. He claims the National Assembly’s reckless handling of the case, including using unverified audio evidence, caused him significant mental distress and damage to his reputation.
The crossdresser’s legal documents also detail claims of violations of his rights to privacy, freedom of movement, and telecommunication.
