A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed a fundamental rights suit seeking N200million damages against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju., popularly known as Bobrisky.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 28, 2024, Justice Alexander Owoeye held that Bobrisky’s claims of encroachment of his rights lacked merit with no credible evidence to justify the reliefs he sought from the court.
Bobrisky had earlier approached the court for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents (EFCC)” from harassing, declaring him wanted, arresting or detaining him.”
The cross-dresser also prayed the court to compel EFCC to pay him the sum of N200million as damages he allegedly suffered from the activities of the Commission regarding his arrest and trial.
In a statement issued by the EFCC on Friday, November 28 2024, after evaluating all the reliefs he sought, Justice Owoeye ruled that “having evaluated the evidence placed before this Court by the Applicant, it is evident that the Applicant has failed to provide credible evidence to justify the award of the declaratory and injunctive reliefs sought by him”.
According to the statement, the judge further stated that, “in the final analysis, I hold the claims of violation of fundamental rights against the 1st and 2nd Respondents were not made out of the affidavit evidence placed before this Court. The claim of the Applicant against the 1st to the 2nd Respondents hereby lacks merit and is liable to be dismissed. It is accordingly dismissed”. The judge also refused to award any damage against the EFCC.
Bobrisky had dragged both the EFCC and the National Assembly before the court and all the reliefs he sought were thrown out. He was originally arrested by the EFCC on April 4, 2024 by the Commission for Naira abuse. His arrest eventually led to his six months conviction by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on April 12, 2024 .
