Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has categorically denied any involvement with popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, and the allegations surrounding bribery of prison officials to facilitate Bobrisky’s serving of his prison sentence outside the facility.
The controversy arose from a viral video posted by blogger Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, who claimed that unnamed officers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accepted a bribe of ₦15 million from Bobrisky to drop money laundering charges against him. VeryDarkMan further alleged that Falana sought a presidential pardon for Bobrisky in exchange for ₦10 million.
In response to these allegations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Falana firmly denied having ever met or spoken with Bobrisky. He stated, “Bobrisky never spoke to me, I have never met him, I do not know him from Adam.” He elaborated that Bobrisky allegedly communicated with his son, Folarin (Falz), asking for financial assistance to secure a more comfortable prison experience.
Falana recounted that Bobrisky reached out to his son on May 4, requesting ₦3 million for placement in a “VIP section” of the prison. However, Falana’s son refused to assist, questioning the legitimacy of the request and advising Bobrisky to go through the proper prison channels for any such appeal.
He criticized the allegations against him as “infantile radicalism” and highlighted his commitment to advocating for justice, having helped over 280 convicted individuals both in Nigeria and abroad to obtain pardons without ever demanding or receiving compensation. Falana expressed disappointment at the defamatory claims and indicated that, while he refrained from filing a criminal complaint, he intends to pursue civil action to restore his reputation and that of his son.
Falana emphasized that the ongoing campaign for decriminalization of freedom of expression should not be misconstrued as a license for defamation and blackmail. He stated, “We want to use this case to set an example so that nobody will simply run to social media to defame any Nigerian.