Scandal Behind Bars: Bobrisky’s Alleged ₦35m Bribery Ring Exposed by Lagos Traditional Ruler

 

LAGOS, NIGERIA — April 7, 2025:

The dust has yet to settle around the controversial incarceration of Nigerian internet personality and crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, as startling new revelations have emerged accusing officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service of orchestrating a bribery-fueled conspiracy to shield the socialite from truly serving his sentence behind bars.

In a bombshell disclosure made during a town hall meeting hosted by the Lagos State Police Command over the weekend to mark National Police Week, the Baale of Kirikiri Town, Chief Babalola Shabi — widely known as "Baale No-Nonsense" — alleged that Bobrisky lived a far more comfortable and unconventional life than what was officially reported during his prison term.

According to the traditional ruler, rather than being confined within the walls of the Kirikiri Correctional Facility where he was sentenced to serve six months in 2024 for abusing the naira, Bobrisky was, in fact, housed in a private residence outside the facility. The arrangement, Shabi claims, was made possible through a high-level collaboration between the crossdresser and certain complicit prison officials.

“The reality is that Bobrisky never stayed in prison,” Shabi stated plainly. “He was kept outside, living in a private apartment, while people thought he was behind bars. It was a well-organized scheme involving corrupt officials.”

Chief Shabi further revealed that the scandal came to light through his own efforts. He had summoned all Point of Sale (POS) operators within Kirikiri to his palace after growing suspicious of unusual financial transactions happening in the area. This community initiative led to the involvement of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who traced a series of payments totaling ₦35 million to Bobrisky’s eight ATM cards allegedly smuggled into the correctional facility.

“The correctional officials were using POS vendors to channel the funds. That’s how they were paid to make Bobrisky’s stay as comfortable as possible,” he said. “I called in the EFCC myself once I noticed what was going on.”

Shabi claims that not only did the EFCC launch a full-scale investigation into the money trail, but the Department of State Services (DSS) also questioned him in connection with the unfolding scandal. He insists the aim was not to sensationalize the matter but to uphold the integrity of the justice system.

“It’s my responsibility as a traditional leader to prevent this kind of impunity from taking root. I gave my full cooperation to both the DSS and EFCC,” he added.

According to Shabi, the house allegedly used to accommodate Bobrisky during the period of his supposed incarceration has been identified and demolished. Additionally, some correctional officials believed to be involved in the illegal arrangement have reportedly been suspended from duty pending the outcome of internal investigations.

However, Shabi’s detailed testimony starkly contradicts an earlier account issued by a National Assembly investigative panel, which maintained that although Bobrisky did receive “preferential treatment,” he remained within the Kirikiri prison throughout the duration of his sentence.

The controversy deepened further when controversial activist and social commentator, Martins Otse — also known as VeryDarkMan — shared a voice recording, allegedly from Bobrisky herself. In the recording, Bobrisky can be heard boasting about paying ₦15 million to EFCC operatives to have money laundering charges dropped. She also claimed that a powerful “godfather,” working in coordination with Nigerian Correctional Service insiders, arranged for her to serve her sentence in a private apartment.

Though no official charges have been filed against the implicated correctional officers or EFCC personnel as of press time, public interest in the case is mounting, with Nigerians expressing outrage over the apparent breach of legal and correctional ethics.

Whether the revelations will trigger a full-scale federal investigation remains to be seen, but what is certain is that the alleged scandal surrounding Bobrisky’s imprisonment has thrown yet another spotlight on systemic corruption within Nigeria’s criminal justice system.