The FG panel, however, said Bobrisky’s transfer to a maximum security facility as a first offender violated the law
By Kehinde Okeowo
A federal government investigative panel established by Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, completed his six-month jail term.
Bobrisky was sentenced to jail on April 12 for abusing the naira and was released in August after completing his time.
However, controversial social media influencer, Martins Ortse, aka VeryDarkMan, leaked an audio recording where Bobrisky alleged he paid N15 million to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to have money laundering charges against him dropped.
In the same audio, he also mentioned that a “godfather” and staff from the Nigerian Correctional Service ensured he served the six months sentence in a private apartment.
Subsequently, on September 30, the minister of Internal Affairs constituted an investigative panel chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Magdalena Ajani, and ordered a probe into the alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Reading the phase one report of the FG panel on Monday, a member of the panel and the Executive Director and founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, Uju Agomoh, said the panel found no evidence that Bobrisky slept outside the prison walls after she was sentenced.
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He said, “The panel did not find any evidence thus far that suggested that Mr Okuneye slept outside the custodial centre during the period of his imprisonment, which was from 12th April 2024 to 5th August 2024, which is a six-month correctional sentence with the usual remission applicable”.
Agomoh went on to say during the period, Bobrisky was transferred from the Kuje Custodial Centre to the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kirikiri-Apapa, Lagos, and then to the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, from where she was discharged after the completion of her sentence.
The FG panel added that Bobriksy enjoyed several privileges while in both Custodial Centres, which include furnished single cells, humidifier, and lots of visits by his family members and friends.
It, however, said the cross-dresser’s transfer to a maximum security facility as a first offender violated Section 164A and Section 164B of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019.
He added, “The panel also found that Mr. Okuneye Idris enjoyed several privileges while in custody, both at the Medium Security and the Maximum Security Custodial Centres, which include, especially the following: furnished single cells, humidifier, lots of visits by his family members and friends as he desired, self-feeding, designated inmates to run errands for him, access to fridge and television, and possibly access to his phone.
“It is necessary to further investigate if the above privileges provided for Okuneye Idris were financially motivated and based on corrupt practices by correctional officers.
“The panel believes that the peculiar case of the inmates and the inmates’ physical look and behaviour pose a threat, and the lack of laid-down rules for the treatment of such a case may have necessitated such privileges to be granted to Okunenye Idris.
“The panel recommends that clear guidelines need to be set up to guide operations regarding such incidents in future. Steps should be taken to avoid the obvious discriminatory practices in relation to the socio-economic levels and other status of inmates.”
