Fresh details have emerged regarding the controversial prison treatment of Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, widely known as Bobrisky, Nigeria’s most famous crossdresser woman. PulseNets learned that despite being sentenced to six months in prison for naira abuse in April, the crossdresser only spent three weeks behind bars, as revealed by an investigative report from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
On Tuesday, a social media user, Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, shared a phone conversation in which Bobrisky admitted to paying N15 million to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to remove ‘money laundering’ from the charges against her. In the call, the crossdresser confessed that she had served her prison term outside of Kirikiri.
Speaking to PulseNets, a prison official, who chose to remain anonymous, disclosed that Bobrisky was treated like a high-profile VIP during her brief stay at Kirikiri prison.
“Bob spent only three weeks here with us in Kirikiri before she was taken out to another place we don’t know,” the official told PulseNets. “That was where she spent her time; it was an ‘arrangee thing’. And money was involved.”
The same source explained further to PulseNets, “She was guarded like a president until she was secretly taken away after three weeks. She received VIP treatment all through, lived in a special cell, and yes, the money she claimed to have paid was actually true.”
PulseNets also learnt about an incident that added to the controversy, involving a prisoner who was punished for accidentally capturing Bobrisky during a video call. The prisoner was reportedly locked up for nearly two months for breaching Bobrisky’s privacy.
“There was this day one guy was on a video call with his girlfriend, and he suddenly turned the camera on Bobrisky,” the prison official told PulseNets. “It was deemed an invasion of Bobrisky’s privacy, so, as punishment, he was locked up in his cell for nearly two months.”
Additionally, James Brown, another popular crossdresser, claimed to have visited Bobrisky in prison on June 8. However, PulseNets learnt that the crossdresser was no longer in prison at the time. Sources close to James disclosed that he had instead visited another inmate, Vindicate, to record a song from prison.
Also Read: Bobrisky Leaked Audio Call: EFCC Orders Investigation Into Alleged Bribery
In light of these developments, PulseNets reported that the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an unconditional investigation into the bribery and corruption allegations surrounding Bobrisky’s prison case.
The Nigerian Correctional Service, PulseNets learnt, has remained silent on whether the crossdresser served her full sentence at Kirikiri. However, two deputy controllers of corrections, Michael Anugwa and Sikiru Adekunle, have been suspended following their involvement in the handling of Bobrisky’s case.
