A Nigerian transgender celebrity is jailed for throwing money into the air, a rare conviction

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A local court in Nigeria has handed a six-month sentence to a popular transgender woman after convicting her of throwing money into the air at a social event. Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, better known as Bobrisky, was sentenced on Friday without the option of a fine in a rare conviction that was criticized by many in the West African nation, a deeply conservative country where members of the LGBTQ+ community are often targeted under a law banning same-sex relations. It’s common, though prohibited, for people to throw money into the air, a practice known as spraying, at social events in Nigeria.