An investigative panel constituted by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared that a controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, completed his jail term.
The Daily Crucible reports that Bobrisky was jailed for six months on April 12 after pleading guilty to the charge of abuse of the Nigerian Naira notes.
The charge was filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).
He was subsequently released from prison in August but no sooner had he got out of the prison facility than another controversial and self – acclaimed social critic, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, shared a voice note claiming it belonged to Bobrisky.
In the voice note, Bobrisky allegedly said she paid N15m to some EFCC officials to drop the money laundering charge against him.
Bobrisky also claimed in the voice note that an unnamed “godfather,” alongside staff members of the Nigerian Correctional Service, facilitated a process that ensured he served the six-month sentence in a private apartment and not in prison.
Following from the tension and interest generated by the matter, the minister constituted an investigative panel on September 30 which was chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Magdalena Ajani.
The Panel was given a mandate probe the alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigerian Correctional Service.
However, a member of the panel and the Executive Director and founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, Uju Agomoh, on Monday, October 21, said the panel found no evidence that Bobrisky spent his term outside the prison walls.
Agomoh who reads the phase one report of the panel, added that members found no evidence to support the allegation that Bobrisky spent time outside the prison walls.
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 said during this 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.
According to him, Bobrisky enjoyed several privileges, including furnished single cells, humidifier, and lots of visits by his family members and friends while his time lasted in both Custodial Centres.
The panel, however, said the cross-dresser’s transfer to a maximum security facility as a first offender was wrong and in violatioSection 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.”
