Nigerian crossdresser and social media influencer Idris Okuneye, popularly 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 her fundamental rights. Filed on October 10, 2024, the lawsuit seeks N200 million from the EFCC for “psychotic trauma” and N1 billion from the National Assembly for denying her a fair hearing.
This legal battle stems from an audio recording shared by activist VeryDarkMan, in which Bobrisky allegedly admitted to paying EFCC officials N15 million to drop money laundering charges against her. The recording also suggested that Bobrisky’s “godfather” and Haliru Nababa, the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for her six-month sentence for abusing the naira to be served in a private apartment instead of prison. Bobrisky has denied the allegations and declared the recording fake, threatening legal action against VeryDarkMan for defamation.
The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Financial Crimes and Reformatory Institutions has since initiated an investigation into the bribery allegations. They invited Bobrisky, VeryDarkMan, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyode, and Haliru Nababa to testify before the committee.
In her lawsuit, Bobrisky accused the EFCC of acting on unverified allegations, which she said led to public ridicule, threats, and an invasion of her privacy. She shared a court order on Instagram, prohibiting the EFCC and the National Assembly from harassing or detaining her. Despite this order, Bobrisky claimed EFCC officials forcefully removed her from a plane as it prepared for takeoff and transferred her from Lagos to Abuja, ignoring her pending lawsuit.
Bobrisky further alleged that Nigeria’s security agencies, including the EFCC and Immigration Service, acted unlawfully under the direction of the Minister of Interior. She claimed these actions worsened her health and highlighted systemic human rights violations.
Condemning the EFCC’s behavior, Bobrisky wrote, “The EFCC and other security agencies in Nigeria are violators of human rights. It is high time the world and the international community became aware of their actions. It is a shame that the EFCC does not respect the court or the laws they claim to uphold.”