Following the alleged arrest of Nigerian cross-dresser and bleaching expert, Bobrisky, the Lagos state police has denied his arrest

Bobrisky was allegedly arrested on Tuesday, November 7, at his Lekki home in Lagos state - It was gathered that the cross-dresser was allegedly taken into custody by officers of the Lagos state police - The bleaching expert who reportedly granted an interview from police station claimed his arrest was orchestrated by celebrity designer, Toyin Lawani Edgal Imohimi, the acting commissioner of police in Lagos state has denied the arrest of popular cross-dresser, Bobrisky, by the police. Imohimi claimed that the Lagos police command never issued an arrest for Bobrisky, stating that the cross-dresser doesn’t have any problem with the law or the command. In an interview with The Punch, the acting commissioner of police noted that people should ask Bobrisky who arrested him.

He said: “I don’t know about the arrest, and the command did not arrest him. He does not have any problem with the command. Ask him who arrested him.” The police public relations officer for Zone 2 command in Onikan area of Lagos state, Dolapo Badmos, also addressed the claims of Bobrisky’s arrest.

Badmos said: “I am not aware of the arrest. Maybe he was arrested by somewhere else. There were reports on Wednesday that Bobrisky was arrested in his Lekki, Lagos home on Tuesday. And this happened days after he ‘admitted’ to being gay in a post which he later deleted.”

Bobrisky who allegedly granted an interview from the police station claimed that his arrest was ordered by celebrity designer, Toyin Lawani, after she wrote a petition against him. According to the bleaching expert, Lawani had accused him of stealing her cream ideas for profit. He claimed she also reported him for threatening her. The celebrity designer, however, denied all allegations against her. Meanwhile, many Nigerians have linked Bobrisky’s arrest to the claims he made on social media, stating that he is gay. In Nigeria, the law state that any Lagosian caught in same-gender relationship would serve 14 years jail time. However, despite the speculations that the arrest might be linked to his claims about being gay, a well-known Nigerian lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has stated that no Nigerian can be arrested just by claiming something in public except he is caught in the act

Keyamo said: “For me, you have to be caught in the act. Yes, it may amount to corrupting public moral when you go on social media to announce you are gay but we are talking about the law here and not sentiment and if we are talking about the law, the person has to be caught in the act. Except the person says he is gay and refers to a particular gay act that can be verified. For example, if Mr. A comes out on social media to say I am a thief, he cannot be arrested because his declaration that he is a thief cannot be linked to a particular act of stealing. Anybody can come out to say I am a kidnapper but if you do not link that declaration to a particular incident that happened, that person cannot be arrested. So also, if a person comes out to say I am gay and you can’t link it to a particular gay act that actually happened or that he was caught in the act, I think it is wrong for such a person to be arrested.

You can only be arrested when you consent to the act that can be verified. He can be arrested for saying that he is gay but it must be linked to a gay act that happened. You cannot be arrested for just saying you are gay.”