Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has categorically denied any involvement with crossdresser Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, or allegations that he bribed prison officials to serve his sentence outside of prison. This comes in response to a viral video by blogger Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, who claimed that some unnamed officers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accepted 15 million naira from Bobrisky to drop money laundering charges.
Falana addressed these allegations on Channels Television’s Politics Today, stating that he has never met or communicated with Bobrisky. He clarified, “Bobrisky never spoke to me; I do not know him from Adam.” He noted that Bobrisky had reached out to his son, Folarin (Falz), seeking assistance for a special placement in prison, but his son refused to help with any bribery attempts.
Falana described the allegations as “infantile radicalism” and emphasized that he has helped 280 convicted individuals obtain pardons without ever demanding or accepting money in return. He expressed his intention to avoid criminal complaints due to his advocacy for freedom of expression in West Africa, but he will pursue civil action to protect his and his son’s reputations.
He stated, “We have asked for a retraction and an apology… If we do not receive an acceptable response, we will initiate civil proceedings in the high court.” Falana also voiced his commitment to exposing corruption within Nigerian correctional facilities, expressing surprise at the House of Representatives’ decision to form a panel to investigate conditions in these institutions.
Written By; Christopher Emuakpeje