Human rights lawyer Festus Ogun has called out the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) over the recent arrest of popular Nigerian cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
The lawyer, via his verified Facebook, condemned the arrest of the cross dresser, asserting that it violates her constitutional rights, particularly the right to free movement and personal liberty, which are enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
NaijaOnPoint.com.ng(NOP) reports that NIS on Monday evening confirmed the arrest of the trans-woman, Bobrisky after being caught allegedly trying to leave Nigeria for Benin Republic.
According to the statement signed by the spokesman of NIS, Kenneth Udo, operatives of its agency intercepted Bobrisky at Sème Border while trying to flee the country earlier in the day.
Reacting to the development, Ogun argued that the NIS’s actions will from henceforth set a dangerous precedent that could lead to further restrictions on the freedoms of citizens, particularly that of outspoken individuals.
He added that there is no justification of the arrest and continued harassment, as there are no charges against Bobrisky.
He said: “The Nigerian Immigration Service’s recent arrest of Bobrisky while attempting to travel out of Nigeria is arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional. Denying a Nigerian citizen the right to leave the country without legal grounds is completely unjustifiable.”
The lawyer warned: “If the NIS is allowed to get away with this, the Nigerian state may not hesitate to restrict the freedom of its citizens—especially journalists, activists, and vocal patriots—on the basis that they are ‘persons of interest.’”