Bobrisky files N1.2bn suit against EFCC, n’assembly for ‘rights violation’

Bobrisky, the self-proclaimed transgender, has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and national assembly for allegedly violating her fundamental rights.

BACKGROUND 

The crossdresser has been in the eye of the storm since activist VeryDarkMan shared a purported audio conversation wherein she claimed that she paid some EFCC officials N15 million to drop money laundering charges against her.

Bobrisky was released on August 5, after she was sentenced to six months in prison on April 12 for abusing the naira.

In the purported recording, the crossdresser also claimed that her “godfather”, alongside Haliru Nababa, controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), ensured she served the six-month sentence in a private apartment and not in prison.

The house of representatives joint committee on financial crimes and reformatory institutions resolved to probe the bribery allegation. It also invited VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky, Ola Olukoyode, EFCC chairman; and Nababa to appear before the committee.

The social media celebrity, who failed to appear before the committee, was arrested on October 21 at the Seme border for allegedly attempting to flee the country.

On November 1, the crossdresser was re-arrested by EFCC officials while attempting to leave Nigeria. A video shared on Instagram showed airport officials dragging her off the plane.

The commission also confirmed that she was rearrested to assist in investigating bribery allegations against the agency after which she finally travelled out of Nigeria on November 4.

BOBRISKY’S LAWSUIT

On Saturday, Bobrisky took to Instagram to share a court file dated October 10 prohibiting the EFCC and national assembly from “harassing, detaining, or declaring me wanted”.

In the lawsuit, Bobrisky claimed that the commission invited her for investigation based on a hearsay WhatsApp phone call published by VeryDarkMan.

She also alleged that the EFCC failed to investigate the authenticity of the recording, which led to her ridicule on social media, threats from unknown persons, and invasion of her privacy.

In the document, the crossdresser is seeking N200 million from EFCC for “psychotic trauma” and N1 billion from the national assembly for “violating my right to a fair hearing”.

“The sum of one billion against the 1st respondent being damages for unlawful attempt to violate the right to fair hearing of the applicant, violate his right from discrimination, violate his right to private and family life, right to privacy of his home and telephone conversations,” the document reads in part.

“The sum of two hundred million naira against the 2nd respondent being damages suffered, psychotically trauma, mental torture and criminal stigmatisation caused by the reckless report given by the 2nd respondent to the 1st respondent without any proper investigation and fair hearing stating that the doctored social media published audio by Verydarkman was true, having not carried out any formal and proper investigation by contacting WhatsApp and laying before the committee that the hearsay doctored evidence was confirmed to be true and authentic.

“The violation of the right of freedom of movement, right to privacy of his telecommunication.

In an accompanying caption, Bobrisky alleged that despite the court order, the EFCC and other security agencies continue to violate her rights, worsening her health conditions.

She also condemned that anti-graft agency’s actions, arguing that it was “above the law”.

“Notwithstanding the earlier filing of this fundamental rights matter the EFCC still violently assaulted and harassed me and pulled me out of a plane set for takoff,” she wrote.

“The EFCC and other security agencies in Nigeria are violators of human rights and it is high time the world and the international community gets to know about their trademark of violation of freedom and rights.

“Without any order of court the minister of interior ordered the Nigeria immigration service and police to arrest and detain me which lead to my worsening illnesses.

“Then again the EFCC arrested and took me from their Lagos office to Abuja notwithstanding the pendency of this suit.

“It is a shame that the EFCC does not respect the court neither does any security agencies. They act above the law which they claim to protect and implement.”