According to Daily Trust, the cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, will be sentenced on April 9, 2024, by the Federal High Court in Lagos for naira abuse. The ruling was reserved by Justice Abimbola Awogboro after Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the four-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Pending the sentence, the judge ordered that Bobrisky be remanded in EFCC custody. The court proceedings began at exactly 11:55 am, with Mr. Sulaiman Sulaiman representing the EFCC and Mr. Ayo Olumofin appearing for the defendant.
Justice Awogboro instructed Bobrisky to uncover his face, which was covered with a black hijab, and he complied. The charge, identified as FHC/L/244c/2024, initially consisted of four counts of naira abuse and two counts of alleged money laundering. However, before reading the charge to the defendant, Sulaiman requested that counts five and six concerning alleged money laundering be struck out, and Bobrisky be arraigned on counts one to four.
Sulaiman stated, “We have an agreement with the defendant which will lead us to withdraw counts 5 and 6. In the circumstance, we’re humbly urging the court to strike out counts 5 and 6, leaving count 1 to 4 alive.” Granting the request, Justice Awogboro struck out the two counts and ordered that the remaining four-count charge be read to the defendant.
Bobrisky pleaded guilty to all four counts, confirming his understanding of the charges when questioned by the registrar. Sulaiman then proceeded to present the facts of the case and called Mr. Bolaji Temitope, an EFCC Assistant Superintendent, as a witness.
Prompted by the prosecution, Temitope explained how the EFCC became aware of Bobrisky’s actions. He stated, “The EFCC received intelligence of individuals who are in the habit of spraying Naira during parties in Lagos. Based on this, the EFCC set out an operation team to monitor and observe the activities of individuals who are in the habit of doing so.
Temitope continued by describing the videos on social media where Bobrisky was seen abusing the Naira. He mentioned that the EFCC team visited event centers and monitored social media pages where such activities were observed. The witness confirmed that the defendant was shown videos of himself spraying money on Segun Johnson and admitted his involvement in multiple videos where he sprayed money. Temitope testified that Bobrisky provided a written statement confirming his action.
The statement and videos were presented as evidence and admitted by the court as Exhibits 1 and 2 respectively, without objection. The prosecutor then concluded the case, stating, “That is the case of the prosecution, and we pray the defendant be convicted as charged, my lord”.
In a bench ruling, Justice Awogboro declared, “The defendant is convicted as charged.” However, Bobrisky pleaded for mercy, expressing his unawareness that spraying money at parties was a crime. He stated, “I am a social influencer and have more than five million followers. I’m not aware of the law. I wish I can be given a second chance to use my platform to educate my followers about spraying of Naira. I’ll not repeat this. I regret my actions, my lord. I’m a first-time offender”.
Bobrisky’s lawyer emphasized that his client had reformed and requested the judge to consider a non-custodial sentence and an option of a fine. .”