Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has firmly rejected claims suggesting any association with popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, regarding allegations of bribing prison officials to serve his sentence outside the correctional facility.
In a viral video shared by blogger Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, it was alleged that some unnamed officers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accepted ₦15 million from Bobrisky to drop money laundering charges against him. Additionally, VeryDarkMan claimed that Falana sought a presidential pardon for Bobrisky in exchange for ₦10 million.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Falana vehemently denied ever meeting or communicating with Bobrisky. “Bobrisky has never spoken to me, nor have I ever met him. I do not know him at all. He was allegedly in contact with my son, Folarin (Falz),” he stated.
Falana elaborated on the situation, recounting, “My son mentioned that Bobrisky reached out to him for assistance on May 4 this year, requesting ₦3 million to secure a place in the prison’s VIP section. When my son asked if he was calling with the superintendent of prisons’ authorization, Bobrisky replied no. My son then said, ‘Please don’t contact me again. I cannot assist you in bribing the prison authorities. Be cautious since you are already incarcerated for an offense.’”
He added, “If you wish to call me again, please do so through the superintendent or by writing a letter endorsed by the prison authorities. That was the last communication. Subsequently, someone began releasing tapes to tarnish my reputation, claiming that I had spoken to Bobrisky.”
Describing the allegations as “infantile radicalism,” Falana emphasized that he has successfully assisted 280 convicted individuals, both domestically and internationally, in securing pardons without ever demanding or receiving payment for his services.
