Reasons Why Police Are Unable to Arrest Bobrisky and Other Crossdressers, According to Force PRO

The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, has stated the Nigerian police’s stance on specific moral issues and cross-dressing in the country.

Mr Adejobi, in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today Tuesday, suggested that crossdressing is not an offence in Nigeria.

In April 2022, The House of Representatives introduced a bill prohibiting cross-dressing with an amendment to the Same-Sex (Prohibition) Act. The amendment, sponsored by Muda Umar (APC, Bauchi), sought to amend sections 4 and 5 of the principal act.

This proposed bill, if passed into law, could affect popular crossdressers like Bobrisky and James Brown.

Mr Adejobi’s remarks come amidst increasing concerns about the proliferation of crossdressers in Nigeria and Bobrisky’s infamous ‘Best Dressed Female’ award at the ‘Ajakaju’ movie premiere, which generated numerous controversies.

“There are some cases that are always very difficult to prove. I’m not ruling out that we have many of them, but if, for instance, you want to prove the case of rape, it has points to prove, and if any of these points are missing, you may lose your case in court.

“Let us be reasonable; you can’t prosecute someone without credible evidence against them. I don’t think crossdressing is a crime in Nigeria because I have not read anywhere where cross-dressing is an offence in Nigeria,” Mr Adejobi told the show’s host, Seun Okinbaloye.

He, however, said there were allegations against certain crossdressers regarding their involvement in punishable offences he tagged ”unnatural offences.”

He, however, emphasised that individuals who engaged in criminal activities in the name of cross-dressing would be prosecuted.

“That’s where the problem lies, and we need evidence that they’re actually into all those offences, which are ‘unnatural’ in Nigeria and are punishable under the law,” Mr Adejobi said.

During the interview, the police spokesperson also touched on the social critic Martins Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, who was recently detained for more than 24 hours over cyberbullying allegations. He was, however, released on Sunday.

Mr Akinjobi confirmed a court order for VeryDarkMan’s detention, saying, “We don’t detain people unreasonably. Any action we take in the police is legal. If he had been arrested, it must be on a court order. We only detain people with legal backing for up to twenty-four or forty-eight hours.

“He is on bail, and that doesn’t mean the case is over. To release someone on bail is not the end of the case; it is just to have your liberty to move around.”

Furthermore, Mr Adejobi urged Nigerians to exercise caution in their social media posts about others.

He stressed that many Nigerians are unaware of existing laws concerning cyber-related issues such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking and others.

“One thing I want Nigerians to know is that many of us were not aware that we have laws concerning cybercrime-related issues, cyberbullying, and the like.

“I will always emphasise it: Nigerians should be aware of Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 is in effect, and we will enforce the law,” the Police spokesperson stated.