Adeyanju,Ogun, other Nigerian lawyers react to Bobrisky’s court sentence

[Tofunmi]

An appeal has been made to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the office of the Attorney-General to grant a pardon to the cross-dresser.
The recent arrest and subsequent conviction of Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, a well-known transwoman, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for damaging the naira, has stirred controversy regarding Nigeria’s legal system.
Several Nigerian lawyers have reacted to the court’s decision to sentence the cross-dresser to six months in jail without a fine option, deeming it overly severe.

Reacting to the verdict, human rights lawyer and convener of the Concerned Nigerian Group, Deji Adeyanju, said that despite Bobrisky being a first-time offender, the conviction was too harsh.

In a statement obtained by Pulse Nigeria, Adeyanju said there had been several cases of similar offences that were available to the public before the arrest of the cross-dresser.
Adeyanju questioned why Bobrisky was singled out amidst all other instances recorded visually and made available on social media as evidence.

He said, “The question is, why single out Mr. Olarenwaju? In prosecuting offences like this, security agencies must be careful not to give the impression that the Defendant is being targeted for alleged offences other than those stated on the face of the charge.”

Similarly, Barrister Oladotun Hassan, the President of Yoruba Council Worldwide, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the office of the Attorney-General to grant a pardon to the cross-dresser.

However, he stated that his conviction should deter others, noting that the law respects no one.

Speaking exclusively to Pulse, Barr. Hassan said, “We cannot query the judgment of the court except by an appeal. In view of that, it is of the utmost importance that this judgment should serve as a deterrent and warning for would-be offenders.”

A constitutional lawyer, Festus Ogun, also stated that the lawyer is clear and the stipulations as applied from Section 21 of the CBN Act were rightly used by the trial judge.

When asked if Bobrisky had the right to appeal, he told Pulse that the cross-dresser has the statutory right to appeal the court’s judgment.

Barr. Ogun said, “But the question is, will his jail term not have even elapsed before expiration before the hearing and determination of the appeal? That’s another question begging for an answer.”