Amidst calls for the arrest of popular Nigerian cross-dresser Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky, the Kano State Government has reportedly banned all movies and cinematic productions promoting thuggery and cross-dressing in the state.
The new development which was made known in a press statement issued by the media officer of the Kano State’s Censorship Board, Abdullah Sani Sulaiman also comes amidst charges of currency mutilation and abuse of the Naira against Bobrisky by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
According to Sulaiman, the commission had received series of complaints from residents regarding issues considered to be in gross contradiction with their cultural values.
He noted that the directive was aimed at forestalling the possible effects of such corruptible ideologies and practices in the state.
The statement read in part:
“It is high time we put a stop to this sort of films that corrupt the morals of the Kano people.”
While commending the people of the state for their vigilance in reporting any content perceived to be detrimental to the societal morals that they have held high over the years, especially their cultural and Islamic principles, the board also noted that it was high time to fish out any film that demoralizes the people of the state’s customs, norms and values in the name of reaching popularity, viewers or business making.
Recall that controversial social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan in recent videos condemned the award of Best Dressed Female to the Bobrisky who is a cross-dresser at a Nollywood event and further called for his arrest stating that it was in defiant to societal morals.
However, the Nigerian Police Force through its Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Ademola who spoke on Channels Television last Tuesday, said cross-dressing was not an offence under Nigerian law and therefore the Nigeria Police Force could not arrest popular cross-dresser Bobrisky despite calls to arrest him.
The Force PRO also stated that cross-dressers could not be arrested because there was no law against cross-dressing in Nigeria adding that there is no evidence to support claims that cross-dressers also belong to the LGBTQ+ community.
He said, “There are some cases that are always very difficult to prove.
“I’m not ruling out that we have many of them. Let us be reasonable, you can’t have someone you want to prosecute without having credible evidence against them. I have not read anywhere where cross-dressing is an offence in Nigeria.
“Some of them that are into cross-dressing, the allegation is that they are into something else.
“That’s where the problem lies. We need to have enough proof, credible evidence to prove that they are actually into that. All those offences are natural offences in Nigeria and they are punishable under our laws.”
It was however gathered that Nigeria has a law prohibiting same-sex relationships or marriage.
According to sources, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill was signed into law in Nigeria on January 7, 2014, by then-President Goodluck Jonathan criminalizing public displays of affection between same-sex couples.
In view of this, the law imposes a 14-year prison sentence on anyone who “[enters] into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union”. It also imposes a 10-year sentence on individuals or groups, including religious leaders, who “witness, abet, and aid the solemnization of a same-sex marriage or union” and imposes a 10-year prison sentence on those who “directly or indirectly make [a] public show of [a] same-sex amorous relationship” and anyone who “registers, operates, or participates in gay clubs, societies, and organizations,” including supporters of those groups.
