Victor EzejaThe arrest of Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has led to verbal brickbat between the agency and a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu.
Social media platforms, especially X, formerly Twitter, has been electrified with their hot verbal exchanges in the last 24 hours.
The EFCC threatened to take legal action against Odinkalu over his comments about the arrest of Bobrisky by the Commission.
The Commission had on Thursday announced that its operatives in the Lagos zonal command on Wednesday arrested the 31-year-old crossdresser following allegations of abuse of the naira.
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The Commission said in a statement that Okuneye was seen in a video report spraying and flaunting wads of new Naira notes at the ‘Ajakaju’ movie premiere, produced by Nollywood actress, Eniola Ajao, at Film One Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos on March 24, 2024.
Bobrisky was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The court convicted Bobrisky on Friday after he pleaded guilty to the charges of naira abuse levelled against him by the EFCC and scheduled September April 9, 2024, for his sentencing and ordered that he be held in EFCC custody until then.
Odinkalu, a human rights activists and a Professor in Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, had while reacting to the EFCC prosecution of Bobrisky accused the antigraft agency of abuse of power.
In a post via X, Odinkalu accused EFCC of not setting their priorities right, adding that arresting and prosecuring Bobrisky when there were more serious national issues was tatamount to idling and fiddling while the country burns.
He said the power of arrest is a public trust and should not be used as a weapon to persecute those on the margins of the society they do not like.
“The @officialEFCC shd be ashamed of themselves. The power of arrest & prosecution is a public trust that shd not be weaponized for the persecution of those whom they don’t like. It is either @officialEFCC is evidently idle or this is clear #AbuseOfPower,” Odinkalu wrote.
Reacting, the EFCC in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale z titled “Chidi Odinkalu’s Reckless Commentaries on EFCC”, warned Odinkalu to moderate his comment which they described as being “rascal”
The statement reads: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some reckless commentaries made by a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu on the arrest of Idris Okuneye (a.k.a Bobrisky) by the Commission, describing it as evidence of idleness or an abuse of power .
“The Commission views such commentaries from Odinkalu as unbecoming of a former head of a major government agency. Okuneye was arrested and arraigned by the Commission on the basis of clear cases of abuse of the Naira to which he has pleaded guilty.
“Odinkalu has a right to free speech as a Nigerian but such a right should be exercised with decorum and responsibility.
“The Commission would not hesitate to take appropriate legal actions against such uncouth commentaries against its lawful mandate by anyone.
“Odinkalu is warned and advised to ventilate his rascally opinions more responsibly in future situations.”
However, the human rights activist seems unfazed by the threat as hie responded saying “It is now self evident that @officialEFCC is a shameless, #IdleAndDisorderly institution whose sole preoccupation is #AbuseOfPower. This is beyond unfortunate but entirely predictable.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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