Bobrisky convicted, sentencing deferred

 

Emmanuel Ukudolo I April 05, 2024

 

IKOYI, Lagos, Nigeria – A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos today convicted crossdresser  and social media influencer, Idris Okuneye Olanrewaju better known as Bobrisky and deferred sentencing him.

Justice  Abimbola Awogboro ordered the remand of Bobrisky until April 9, when the court will sentence him following the guilty plea the defendant entered in the four count charge brought against him by the anti-graft agency. 

EFCC initially filed a 6-counts charge against the social media influencer. But at the resumed  hearing, prosecution counsel, Mr. Suleiman Suleiman told the court that the commission filed an information dated April 4, 2024  with 6-count charge but urged the court to strike out counts five and six.

The fifth and sixth counts bordered on money laundering. However, the court granted the prosecution prayer , striking out the two last counts (5&6) after which the defendant was arraigned on count one to four anchored on abuse of the Naira and mutilation. 

Part of the charge read: “That you, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, on the 24th day of March, 2024, at Imax Circle Mall, Jakande, Lekki, whilst dancing during a social event tampered with the total sum of N 400,000 notes by spraying same.”

His offence contravened the provision of  Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007. Following his guilty  plea to the four counts charge, the prosecution counsel prayed the court to review the fact of the case.

However, operatives of the commission Bolaji Temitope told court that the commission acted on intelligence  that the defendant was spraying money at a party held at an event centre in Lekki.

According to him, ” based on a special operation to monitor those in the habit of spraying money at parties, the team visited many event centres and monitored social media pages where the Naira is being abused. In the process the commission came across a video where the defendant was seen spraying Naira notes on Segun Johnson. “

Temitope told the court that when the defendant was invited by the commission, he honoured the invitation and volunteered his statement. He said the videos were burned in a Compact Disc.”

The court therefore admitted Bobrisky’s statement and the CD as exhibits as prayed by the lead EFCC counsel and unopposed by the defendant counsel, Mr. Ayo Olumofin. In his plea of mercy, Bobrisky prayed the court to give him a second chance and pleaded for mercy.

” My lord ,I am a social media influencer with five million followers. In all honesty, I  am not aware that there is a law against spraying money, which is an abuse of Naira. I regret my action, my lord. I will not repeat it.”

His counsel, Olumofin  prayed the court to temper justice with mercy. He also pleaded with the court to give him a non- custodial sentence with option of fine. ” My lord, he is an employer of Nigerians. He cooperated with the commission. In totality, we urge the court to allow him to go, as he will be useful to educate the Nigerians. “

Justice Awogboro admitted and marked the documents as exhibits.

In view of the above, Sulaiman prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.

Justice Awogboro,thereafter, ruled, “upon the admission of guilt by the defendant, testimony of PW1 and following the evidence tendered, the defendant is declared guilty as charged.

Bobrisky, in his plea for mercy told the court, said: “I am a social media influencer, with five million followers; and in all honesty, I was not aware of the law.

After the conviction, Justice Awogboro subsequently adjourned sentencing to April 9, 2024 and ordered that he should be remanded in EFCC custody.