By Our Reporter
A popular cross-dresser, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky has been arrested by the personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The arrest which occurred in Lagos State on Wednesday evening was confirmed to newsmen on Thursday morning by the agency’s spokesman, Mr Dele Oyewale.
According to the EFCC spokesman, Bobrisky was arrested for mutilation of naira notes and not for his lifestyle as a cross-dresser.
“It is true; our boys arrested him yesterday evening in Lagos for naira abuse. We don’t have anything to do with his lifestyle (being a cross-dresser).
“He was suspected of committing an economic crime and that was the reason for his arrest,” Oyewale explained.
Bobrisky’s arrest comes barely 24 hours after the Nigeria Police Force stated that it lacked enough evidence to arrest him for same-sex activities.
There have been calls for Bobrisky’s arrest, especially after social media influencer and blogger, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan in recent videos condemned the award of Best Dressed Female to the cross-dresser at a Nollywood event.
However, the Force Public Relations Officers, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said on Channels TV on Tuesday that cross-dressers cannot be arrested because Nigeria has no law against cross-dressing.
Adejobi also said there was also no evidence to support claims that cross-dressers belong to the LGBTQ+ community.
“There are some cases that are always very difficult to prove.
“I’m not ruling out that we have many of them. Let us be reasonable, you can’t have someone you want to prosecute without having credible evidence against them.
“I have not read anywhere where cross-dressing is an offence in Nigeria.
“Some of them that are into cross-dressing, the allegation is that they are into something else.
“That’s where the problem lies. We need to have enough proof, credible evidence to prove that they are actually into that.
“All those offences are natural offences in Nigeria and they are punishable under our laws.”
The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill was signed into law in Nigeria on January 7, 2014, by then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The law criminalises public displays of affection between same-sex couples.
The law imposes a 14-year prison sentence on anyone who “enters into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union”.
It also imposes a 10-year sentence on individuals or groups, including religious leaders, who “witness, abet, and aid the solemnisation of a same-sex marriage or union.”
It imposes a 10-year prison sentence on those who “directly or indirectly make a public show of a same-sex amorous relationship” and anyone who “registers, operates, or participates in gay clubs, societies, and organisations,” including supporters of those groups.
