The recent incarceration of popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, has sparked fresh controversy, with a Lagos traditional ruler accusing Nigerian Correctional Service officials of aiding his alleged bribery scheme to secure VIP treatment in prison.
Chief Babalola Shabi, the Baale of Kirikiri Town and popularly known as “Baale No-Nonsense,” claimed that Bobrisky secretly brought eight Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards into the Kirikiri prison and moved about N35 million through Point of Sale (POS) operators around the facility, allegedly to pay off prison officials in exchange for VIP treatment.
Shabi disclosed the information during a town hall meeting hosted by the Lagos State Police Command over the weekend, as part of the celebrations for National Police Week.
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He claimed that the crossdresser did not serve his full sentence in prison, but was instead kept in a private apartment outside the custodial facility, allegedly arranged by corrupt correctional officials.
He said, “Before the truth came out, everyone believed he was in Kirikiri serving his time. But the reality is that Bobrisky was living comfortably outside the prison walls, thanks to a criminal collaboration involving some officials.”
Shabi revealed that it was his intervention that exposed the scandal. He mentioned that he had summoned all the POS operators in the community to his palace, following which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission took action on the issue.
“I personally called in the EFCC after I summoned the POS operators to my palace. From there, they were able to trace the transactions and decode the money trail,” he said.
The traditional ruler revealed that the covert arrangement involved correctional officers instructing POS vendors to make withdrawals from the crossdresser’s ATM cards.
He mentioned that the smoothness with which the cash was accessed suggested a well-coordinated network of accomplices.
“It was shocking how N35 million could be sourced from around here so quickly. Clearly, this was not a one-man job. The officials who aided him have been suspended,” Shabi added.
He also revealed that the property where Bobrisky was allegedly held during that time had been located and demolished. Additionally, he stated that both the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had questioned him about the matter.
“The DSS first invited me for questioning, and I told them everything I knew. The EFCC also reached out, and I gave them my full cooperation. As a community leader, I cannot allow this type of impunity to go unchecked,” he said.
His statement differs from a previous report by a National Assembly panel, which had claimed that while Bobrisky received special treatment, he remained within the prison throughout his sentence.
The crossdresser was handed a six-month prison sentence in 2024 for naira abuse and was released in August of the same year.
However, controversial social critic Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, shared a voice note purportedly from Bobrisky, in which he claimed to have paid N15 million to some officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to have the money laundering charge against him dropped.
Bobrisky also stated in the audio that a “godfather,” along with Nigerian Correctional Service staff members, ensured he served his six-month term in a private flat rather than a prison.
