Has Bobrisky finally caught a break? [Opinion]

Unless you live under a rock or are not active on social media, you’d have heard at least one thing about the turmoil of Nigeria’s controversial media personality, Bobrisky, this year. And now that he has announced that he has finally left Nigeria, it seems like maybe, just maybe, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Bobrisky’s issues began back on March 25, 2024, during the world premiere of Ajanaku: Beast of Two Worlds, which was produced by actress Eniola Ajao. Dressed in a stunning black sequined gown with his hair styled in curls while wearing a bold black lipstick, he was awarded ‘Best Dressed Woman’ on that eventful day, and this did not sit well with many people.

As you would imagine, Bobrisky faced backlash for accepting the award in the midst of biological women, and Eniola Ajao also caught some smoke for choosing him as the winner.

Fast forward to April 4, 2024, when news hit the internet that he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because they received a report that he sprayed and flaunted wads of new naira notes at the movie premiere... It all went downhill from there.

It soon quickly became the talk of the town, leaving many millions of Nigerians confused and wondering when spraying money became a crime. No one could escape the breaking news that the most controversial socialite had been picked up by the EFCC, and the picture of him holding the offender board was everywhere for days.

You couldn’t scroll through social media without seeing the picture of Bobrisky and his blinged-out nails.

When the case eventually got to the court, he pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of abuse of the naira and money laundering brought against him. And as usual, his pictures in court were plastered all over the internet and kept people talking, talking, and talking!

He was eventually sentenced to six months in prison and was shipped off to the correctional facility, dragging his luxurious Louis Vuitton luggage behind him—or so we thought.

Even while he was 'incarcerated', Bobrisky remained a trending topic from time to time, especially when crossdresser James Brown claimed to have visited him in prison. Some people even began to miss his social media shenanigans and viral social media soundbites at some point.

On August 5, 2024, many celebrated the news that the socialite had been released and everyone expected it to end there. Well, they couldn’t have been more wrong! Bobrisky’s problems had only just begun.

In a scathing viral audio released by social media personality VeryDarkMan on September 24, 2024, Bobrisky alleged that some unnamed EFCC officers collected ₦15 million from him to drop the money laundering charges against him.

He also admitted to paying EFCC ₦15 million to clear his money laundering case, adding how he was taken into a private apartment instead of prison to serve his sentence for abusing the naira.

In the voice note, Bobrisky also alleged that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and his son assisted in getting the charges dropped and keeping him out of prison. Very Dark Man then alleged that Falz and his father, Femi Falana, a renowned SAN, were the ones who facilitated his pardon and exoneration.

The voice note truly set social media ablaze and many people bashed him for being so comfortable that he opened up about things that some say should have ordinarily been taken to the grave. But get this: Bobrisky stressed that the viral voice note was not his, even though it sounded like him. Not many people believed that though.

After the allegations were looked into by the EFCC and House of Representatives, it was announced that the money laundering charges against Bobrisky were dropped legally, contrary to VDM’s claims.

One would think it would all end there and Bobrisky can then go on with his daily life… also wrong.

Amid all the controversy regarding his ‘time in prison,’ on October 21, 2024, word on the street was that he was allegedly arrested at the Seme border, reportedly while headed to the Benin Republic. Very Dark Man even alleged that Bobrisky gave someone else his passport to get it signed while he stayed tucked away in a car.

This revelation brought a new twist to the ongoing investigations about Bobrisky allegedly paying a bribe to officials of the EFCC. After being apprehended, he was taken in by the Nigerian Immigration Service and two days later was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a sudden rise in temperature.

Throughout the year, Bobrisky was literally thrown curveball after curveball and barely a moment's rest.

Merely days after being released by the NIS, he was apprehended again! This time at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos by the EFCC. He was literally dragged off the plane headed to London and disgraced on the literal streets of Lagos. The video of the operatives dragging him off the plane and manhandling him quickly made headlines and trended on Twitter, leaving many outraged.

Bobrisky claimed he had sustained injuries from the manhandling and posted pictures on his Instagram story showing the awful bruises he had sustained.

When it seemed like all had calmed down, the socialite revealed on November 4, 2024, that he had finally left Nigeria.

Maybe now he’d be able to catch a break from all this... who knows?