How Bobrisky Smuggled ATMs Into Kirikiri, Paid N35m for VIP Treatment – Kirikiri Baale Alleges

Fresh controversy has trailed the incarceration of popular Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, following shocking revelations by a traditional ruler that have called into question the integrity of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The Baale of Kirikiri Town, Chief Babalola Shabi, popularly referred to as “Baale No-Nonsense,” accused some correctional officials of enabling a bribery scheme that allowed Bobrisky to live in luxury during his supposed six-month prison sentence in 2024. The Baale made the explosive claims at a town hall meeting organized by the Lagos State Police Command as part of activities marking the National Police Week.

According to Chief Shabi, Bobrisky smuggled eight ATM cards into the Kirikiri Custodial Centre and used them to channel N35 million through Point of Sale (POS) operators within the area. He claimed the funds were used to “grease the palms” of prison officials who, in return, provided the celebrity with VIP treatment, including living outside the prison walls.

“Before the truth came out, everyone believed he was in Kirikiri serving his time. But the reality is that Bobrisky was living comfortably outside the prison walls, thanks to a criminal collaboration involving some officials,” Shabi said.

Shabi explained that he initiated the investigation after noticing suspicious financial activities and summoned all POS operators in his community to his palace. This move reportedly prompted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to swing into action, uncovering a money trail linked directly to Bobrisky’s ATM cards.

“I personally called in the EFCC after I summoned the POS operators to my palace. From there, they were able to trace the transactions and decode the money trail,” he added.

He described the ease and speed at which the money was moved as a sign of a well-coordinated internal racket, saying it was “shocking” that N35 million could be sourced from the area so quickly. According to him, some complicit prison officials have since been suspended.

In a further twist, the Baale revealed that the property where Bobrisky allegedly stayed during the sentence has now been identified and demolished, and both the DSS and EFCC interrogated him over the situation.

“The DSS first invited me for questioning, and I told them everything I knew. The EFCC also reached out, and I gave them my full cooperation. As a community leader, I cannot allow this type of impunity to go unchecked,” Shabi stated.

However, this account directly contradicts the findings of an earlier National Assembly panel report, which, although admitting Bobrisky may have enjoyed some level of preferential treatment, insisted that he remained within the prison premises throughout his sentence.

Bobrisky had been sentenced in 2024 to a six-month term for abusing the naira, a charge related to flaunting wads of the currency in viral videos. He was released in August 2024.

In a related development, controversial social critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, had earlier leaked a voice note allegedly belonging to Bobrisky, in which the crossdresser claimed to have paid N15 million to EFCC officials to drop a money laundering charge against him. In the same audio, Bobrisky claimed that a powerful godfather, along with staff members of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for him to serve the sentence in a private apartment and not within the prison facility.