The government of Nigeria has suspended two officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over bribery allegations involving Idris Okuneye, a popular crossdresser known as Bobrisky.
The suspension of the officials was disclosed in a statement signed by Ja’afaru Ahmed, the secretary to Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), on Thursday.
Tontrends recalls that Tuesday, Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, shared an audio clip of Bobrisky wherein he claimed that he bribed some EFCC officials with N15 million to drop the money laundering charge against him.
In the purported recording, the crossdresser also claimed that his “godfather”, alongside Haliru Nababa, the controller general of the NCoS, ensured he served the six-month sentence in a private apartment and not in the prison.
Bobrisky was released from prison on August 5 after he was sentenced to six months on April 12 for abusing the naira.
Subsequently, the crossdresser denied the bribery claim, while arguing that the viral recording was “fake”.
The viral recording elicited varied reactions as many Nigerians called on the authorities to investigate the allegations involving EFCC and NCoS.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on Wednesday initiated a probe of the allegations.
Ahmed in the statement on Thursday said the suspension of the officers is to allow for further investigation on the various allegations, assuring that the outcome would be made public when concluded.
He said; “Following the viral video trending on social media on alleged infractions by Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service relating to Mr. Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has suspended forthwith the following Senior Officers of the Service.
“Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State.
“Also, the Board has suspended ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for allegedly accompanying a convicted inmate out of the Custodial Centre to a location outside the facility.
“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”.