Bobrisky: 3 Nigerian Public Figures Embroiled in Audio Leak Controversy
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism.
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FCT, Abuja - Social media influencer Martins ‘VeryDarkMan’ Otse posted a leaked audio of controversial celebrity Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, on his social media account where the crossdresser indicted singer Falz and his father, Femi Falana (SAN).
Bobrisky alleged in the leaked audio that Falz and his father contacted him while he was imprisoned at Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos to help him secure a presidential pardon.
Source: Instagram
Legit.ng recalls that in April, Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the federal high court in Lagos sentenced Bobrisky to six months in prison for Naira abuse after dismissing the money laundering charges against him.
Bobrisky began serving his six-month prison sentence on March 24 and was released from jail on August 5.
In a demand for retraction letter by Falana and Falana’s Chambers and signed by Taiwo Olawanle, Falz denied ever contacting Bobrisky regarding a presidential pardon application.
In the same vein, Bobrisky denied bribing any Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officer to drop money laundering charges against him, saying that he served his jail term.
The controversial social media personality also described the viral voice recording as fake, stressing that the claim that he was never in prison was false.
Against this backdrop, Legit.ng looks at other Nigerian public figures embroiled in audio leak controversy in recent years. Notably, all of the listed persons in this report denied the audio linked to them.
1) Peter Obi’s ‘religious war’ phone call
After the 2023 general elections, a telephone conversation between Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, was leaked to the public by an online news outlet.
In the audio clip, Obi asked Oyedepo to help spread his message to Christians in the south-west and parts of north-central.
Addressing him as “daddy”, the presidential hopeful insinuated that the 2023 presidential election was a “religious war.”
2) Amaechi's tape criticising Buhari
In the build-up to the 2019 general elections, the campaign team of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, released audio tapes which it described as that of the then minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
The tape portrayed Amaechi as lacking confidence in the product (Buhari) he marketed to Nigerians (Amaechi was the director-general of the Buhari/Yemi Osinbajo campaign organisation).
It was alleged that the clips were made out of an informal interaction Amaechi had with journalists covering his ministry.
3) Wike's alleged voice threatening INEC officials
In 2016, a contentious audio recording of the then-governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, emerged.
Controversy greeted the leaked audio as the voice therein bore a striking similarity with Wike. The voice was heard admitting bribery and threatening to kill electoral officers in the December 10, 2016 rerun elections in the oil-rich state.
At the time, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the leaked audio recording confirmed its worst fears that the elections were rigged. The party noted that revelations contained in the said recording, made public by a prominent online newspaper provided evidence of alleged unwholesome practices.
The APC also stated that the audio recording indicted Wike for allegedly compromising the integrity of the electoral process.
House of reps invite Bobrisky, others
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that following the house of representatives resolution to investigate allegations of bribery against the EFCC in the Bobrisky saga, the joint committee of the house extended an invitation to Ola Olukoyode, the chairman of the anti-graft agency.
In a letter dated Friday, September 27, 2024, the committee also asked Bobrisky and the comptroller general of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) to appear before it on Monday, September 30.
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Source: Legit.ng
