Bobrisky admits that he is a man as he goes to Ikoyi Prison to start six month sentence

CONTROVERSIAL social media personality and cross-dresser Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky is to serve a six month sentence in the male wing of Ikoyi Prison after conceding that he was a man before being sentenced today.

Bobrisky, 33, was sentenced to six months imprisonment without an option of fine for abusing the Nigerian currency, the naira by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos today.  Before the sentence was pronounced, the judge asked Bobrisky about his gender and he responded that he was a man.

He was then remanded to serve his jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, with the judge ruling that the sentence would commence from March 24, 2024, the day of his arrest. Justice  Awogboro who handed down the sentence, stated that it was necessary to deter others from similar acts of abuse and mutilation of the naira.

Bobrisky was convicted on April 5 after pleading guilty to a four-count charge of naira abuse brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). These counts included incidents where Bobrisky was accused of tampering with N400,000 at Imax Circle Mall in Jakande, Lekki; N50,000 at Aja Junction in Ikorodu; N20,000 at White Steve Event Hall in Ikeja and another N20,000 at an event hall in Oniru, Victoria Island, all between 2022 and 2023.

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said, however, that Bobrisky will have a difficult experience in prison. He added that Bobrisky is not a freedom fighter and does not seem like someone who could stay in a restricted environment under harsh and excruciating conditions.

Mr Effiong said he fears that Bobrisky will be confronted by a culture shock when he enters Ikoyi Prison. Writing on his X handle, Mr Effiong suggested that Bobrisky would begin to adjust to his new world after a few days.

He said: “Bobrisky will have a difficult experience in the custodial centre because he is not a freedom fighter and does not seem to me like someone that can stay in a restricted environment under harsh and excruciating conditions. The main key to surviving imprisonment is mental strength and courage.

"Prison walls only break those who are not driven by strong convictions. For a freedom fighter, it is a training ground. No true activist goes to prison and comes out weaker. They always come out stronger and bolder. History shows this clearly and any activist who is broken by imprisonment is a pretender.

"If you are all about the soft life and you are the fragile type and incapable of enduring physical discomfiture, you should avoid imprisonment. Some of us came out stronger after our imprisonment because we have always been mentally prepared for it and due to our strong ideological disposition."

On April 5, Bobrisky had pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of naira abuse brought against him by the EFCC.  Delivering judgment, Justice Awogboro held that the act of mutilating naira notes has become a menace, which has continued to damage the image of the country.