N15m Bribery: ‘I’ve never spoken to Bobrisky, I’m surprised at House of Reps’ – Femi Falana

”I have never met Bobrisky, and he has never spoken to me. My son told me Bobrisky reached out to him on 4 May, asking for N3 million to be placed in a VIP section of the prison…”

Human rights activist and lawyer Femi Falana has addressed the allegations surrounding the ‘presidential pardon’ involving himself, controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, and his son, Falz, for the first time.

In September, PREMIUM TIMES reported that social media influencer Martins ‘VeryDarkMan’ Otse posted a leaked audio of Bobrisky on his Instagram page wherein the crossdresser indicted Mr Falana and his son.

In the leaked audio, Bobrisky alleged that Mr Falana and his son contacted him while he was imprisoned at Kirikiri Correctional Centre to help him secure a presidential pardon if he (Bobrisky) paid him (Mr Falana) N10 million.

Falz responded to the allegations, demanding an apology and retraction from VeryDarkMan within 24 hours.

Addressing the allegations during an interview on Channels TV Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye on Thursday, Mr Falana denied ever contacting Bobrisky.

He stated: “I have never met Bobrisky, and he has never spoken to me. It’s been alleged that he contacted my son, Falz. My son told me Bobrisky reached out to him on 4 May, asking for N3 million to be placed in a VIP section of the prison, where he was seeking special accommodations.

“My son asked him if he was calling under the authorisation of the prison superintendent, and he said no. My son told him not to call again, as he would not assist in bribing prison authorities. He also warned him to be cautious, reminding him that he was already in jail for an offence. My son said, ‘Please if you need to contact me again, do so through the Superintendent or with a letter endorsed by the prison authority. And that was the last.’”

Enter House of Rep

Mr Falana expressed his concerns and surprise at the House of Representatives’ decision to establish a committee to investigate allegations that Bobrisky served his jail term in the VIP section of the prison.

He added that it was hard to believe the House is feigning ignorance of the existence of VIP sections in Nigerian prisons.

This newspaper reported that the House of Representatives summoned VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the allegations.

While Bobrisky was absent from the panel session, the other parties attended and provided their accounts of the events.

‘I am surprised that the House of Representatives is pretending to be unaware that there’s a VIP in prison, and they proceeded to set up a panel to assess the state of our correctional centres. The Correctional Service Act of 2019 has made provisions for addressing the misconduct of prison officers”, he said.

Criminal complaint

Mr Falana also refuted claims that Falz negotiated a N10 million payment with Bobrisky for a presidential pardon, emphasising that he secured pardons for numerous convicts without charges.

Additionally, he stated that he would not pursue a criminal complaint against VeryDarkMan, acknowledging his role as an advocate for freedom of expression.

He said, “This is what I’m going to do. I have resisted the temptation to file a criminal complaint because I lead a team of West African lawyers campaigning for decriminalising freedom of expression. We have successfully coordinated this campaign, which is being coordinated by the Media Foundation for West Africa, of which I am a board member. We have achieved this in Liberia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, and we are still appealing to other countries on the continent to do the same.

“But this does not grant a license for defaming or blackmailing others. We’re saying that if someone defames you, you should sue for libel. In this case, we will not file a criminal complaint; we won’t be pressured. Instead, we will pursue civil proceedings to restore our integrity, my name, and that of my son, so that no one will recklessly rush to social media to defame any Nigerian.”

He emphasised that the VeryDarkMan case is an example of social media users spreading false allegations and defaming others without evidence.

“We want to set an example with this case. We have requested a retraction and an apology, which we believe is not too much to ask. Since neither has been provided or accepted, we expect him to initiate civil proceedings in the High Court”, he added.

In April, the EFCC arrested Bobrisky and charged him with six counts of money laundering and Naira mutilation.

During his trial at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Judge Abimbola Awogboro dismissed the money laundering charges (counts five and six) but sentenced him to six months in prison for Naira abuse.