Nigeria: Popular female transgender celebrity Bobrisky serving sentence in male prison

Popular Nigerian female transgender celebrity Bobrisky has been sentenced to six months in jail after she entered a guilty plea to abusing the West African nation’s banknotes. According to BBC, the judge ruled that Bobrisky must be held in a male prison. 

As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Bobrisky, whose real name is Idris Okuneye, was arrested and charged after she allegedly “sprayed” naira notes at a film premiere in the city of Lagos last month. 

“Spraying” – which is a common practice in Nigeria – involves people throwing money in the air to show gratitude or honor someone. People are usually seen doing that at weddings, parties, and other events in the West African nation.

But the notes landing on the ground after being thrown in the air is technically deemed an offense as people end up walking on them, BBC reported. And though individuals can be sentenced to up to six months in jail if convicted of “spraying,” authorities hardly prosecute such cases. Bobrisky could have also been fined as punishment for abusing the banknotes, but she was rather handed the jail sentence. She also told authorities she did not know “spraying” is prohibited. 

The LGBTQ community in Nigeria is usually subjected to harassment and discrimination, per rights groups. Bobrisky’s conviction also comes after a cis-gender, heterosexual actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, was similarly punished for abusing banknotes. That was in February.

Reports stated that authorities probably arrested and charged Bobrisky after videos of the film premiere were circulated on social media. Brobrisky is a Nigerian celebrity with over five million Instagram followers. She describes herself as an entertainer, social media star, and brand influencer on her Instagram page.