In a scathing social media critique that has drawn widespread attention, popular Nigerian crossdresser Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, better known as Bobrisky, has sharply condemned the nation’s legislative leadership for what he describes as misplaced priorities in the face of escalating violence in Benue State.
The controversy erupted Monday when Bobrisky took to his Instagram story to express outrage over what he characterized as lawmakers’ swift response to matters concerning his legal troubles versus their apparent silence regarding the mounting death toll in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
“Senator/House representative didn’t call an urgent meeting over the killing happening in Benue. But they can call an urgent meeting when it comes to Bobrisky. Shame, shame!!!!” the social media personality wrote, adding, “What a shameful country.”
The timing of Bobrisky’s criticism coincides with a devastating surge in violence across Benue State. At least 100 people have been killed in an attack by gunmen on a village in Nigeria’s central Benue state just this past weekend, according to reports.
Around 200 people were “brutally killed” in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area, on the night of the 13th/14th of June, with many victims being internally displaced persons sheltering at local religious missions. The scale of violence in the region has reached alarming proportions.
Bobrisky’s pointed criticism references the legislative attention his legal case received in 2024. The crossdresser was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for naira abuse after being caught on video spraying new currency notes at a movie premiere in Lagos.
Though sentenced to six months imprisonment, allegations later emerged suggesting he had not served time in prison, prompting a joint committee investigation by the House of Representatives.
Bobrisky said the same senators and House of Representatives members who called urgent meetings to discuss his case have remained notably silent as communities across Benue State face unprecedented levels of violence. The criticism highlights a broader public frustration with perceived governmental inaction in addressing Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
His viral Instagram post highlights a troubling disparity in governmental priorities—swift legislative action on celebrity scandals versus apparent inaction on Nigeria’s worsening security crisis that has claimed thousands of lives in herder-farmer conflicts.
The criticism underscores growing public frustration with political leaders who appear more responsive to social media controversies than to mass killings plaguing Nigerian communities.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Nigerian crossdresser Bobrisky has sparked national debate by criticizing lawmakers for holding urgent meetings about his legal case while remaining silent on the devastating violence in Benue State, where over 100 people were recently killed in a single attack.
His viral Instagram post highlights a troubling disparity in governmental priorities—swift legislative action on celebrity scandals versus apparent inaction on Nigeria’s worsening security crisis that has claimed thousands of lives in herder-farmer conflicts.
The criticism underscores growing public frustration with political leaders who appear more responsive to social media controversies than to mass killings plaguing Nigerian communities.