- A viral video clip suggested that Bobrisky bribed officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service
- Subsequently, the Federal Government suspended senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service over the bribery allegations
- The suspension was to allow for a thorough investigation into the allegations against the suspended officials
Senior officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service have been suspended by the Federal Government following bribery allegations involving well-known crossdresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board, on Thursday, September 26.
Suspension of officers to allow thorough investigation into allegations
The statement, signed by Ja'afaru Ahmed, indicated that the officers were suspended to allow for a thorough investigation of the allegations, with a promise to make the findings public upon completion.
The affected officers were “Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), in charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kirikiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), in charge of Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State.”
ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, from the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, was also suspended by the Board over accusations of accompanying a convicted inmate to a site outside the custodial premises.
Viral audio from VeryDarkMan suggests Bobrisky bribed officials
“In another related development, the Board has equally suspended another Senior Officer of the Service, Iloafonsi Kevin Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kuje- Abuja, for allegedly receiving monies on behalf of an inmate.”
Recall that in April, a Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced Bobrisky to six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to Naira abuse charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Following this, a viral audio clip, shared by social media influencer Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, claimed that Bobrisky served his prison sentence in an apartment close to the correctional facility.
Bobrisky denies allegations as EFCC and NCoS launch investigations
The audio suggested that this arrangement was facilitated by one of Bobrisky's mentors, who reportedly communicated with the prison director in Abuja.
In the recording, Bobrisky allegedly stated that popular rapper Folarin Falana, known as Falz, attempted to assist him in securing a presidential pardon through his father, Femi Falana, SAN for N10 million. He also claimed that N15 million was given to EFCC officials to drop the money laundering charges against him.
Bobrisky however denied the allegations against him, while the EFCC, along with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), has commenced inquiries into the blogger's accusations.
House of Reps investigates claims of corruption in EFCC’s handling of Bobrisky’s case
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the House of Representatives launched an investigation into bribery allegations against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), citing damage to Nigeria’s reputation.
Patrick Umoh urged swift action on widespread claims, with results expected to be out in three weeks.