A traditional ruler in Lagos has accused officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service of secretly helping popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, to live a luxury life while serving his prison sentence.
The Baale of Kirikiri Town, Chief Babalola Shabi, also called “Baale No-Nonsense,” made the claims at a town hall meeting organised by the Lagos State Police Command on Saturday during the National Police Week.
According to the Baale, Bobrisky smuggled eight ATM cards into the Kirikiri prison and used them to move N35 million through POS operators around the area. He said the money was used to bribe some prison officials in exchange for special treatment.
Shabi 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.”
The traditional ruler also said Bobrisky was not really inside the prison but was living in a private apartment outside the correctional centre. He added that the arrangement was made possible with the help of corrupt officials.
To uncover the truth, Shabi said he invited all POS operators in the area to his palace. He later informed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who traced the money trail.
“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 explained.
He further said the prison officials reportedly used the POS vendors to withdraw cash from Bobrisky’s ATM cards. “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,” he added.
Shabi also revealed that the building where Bobrisky allegedly stayed during his sentence has been demolished. He said both the Department of State Services (DSS) and EFCC had questioned him about the case.
“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 stated.
His claims are different from a previous report by a National Assembly panel, which said that although Bobrisky was given special treatment, he still stayed inside the prison during his sentence.
Bobrisky was sentenced to six months in prison in 2024 for abusing the naira and was released in August that same year.
Meanwhile, controversial activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, had earlier leaked a voice note allegedly from Bobrisky. In the audio, Bobrisky claimed she paid N15 million to some EFCC officials to drop a money laundering charge.
The cross-dresser also mentioned that a “godfather” and some prison staff helped her to stay in a private apartment instead of staying inside the prison cell.
The EFCC and Nigerian Correctional Service have not officially responded to the new claims as at the time of this report.
