Akpevwe Okuse
Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, famously known as Bobrisky, has appealed against his six-month imprisonment sentence handed down by the Federal High Court in Lagos. Bobrisky was convicted of abusing the naira by spraying the currency at a party, leading to its mutilation.
In the appeal filed by his lawyer, Bimbo Kusanu, Bobrisky seeks to convert the imprisonment to a fine of N50,000 on each of the four counts he was convicted of. He pleaded guilty to the charges of abuse of the naira, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The trial judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro, imposed the imprisonment sentence without an option of fine, stating it would serve as a deterrent to others.
Bobrisky however, argued that the sentence is harsh, especially considering he has no previous criminal record and cooperated during the investigation.
He contends that the trial court did not exercise its discretion judiciously and that the punishment imposed is punitive and contrary to the mandatory provisions of the law on sentencing.
Bobrisky emphasizes that the intent of the Central Bank Act 2007, under which he was charged, is to prevent Nigerians from tampering with the naira, not to align with foreign perspectives on the matter.
Bobrisky asserts that he did not waste the court’s resources by pleading guilty and cooperating with the EFCC during the investigation.
He claims that the reasons provided by the trial court for the maximum punishment are flawed and do not consider his positive antecedents.
Bobrisky argues that the imposition of the maximum sentence without the option of fine is unjust and has resulted in a miscarriage of justice against him.