•How Bobrisky enjoyed special privileges in jail —Panel
•We won’t sweep reports under the carpet —Minister
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has broken its silence on the arrest of convicted cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky.
Social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, had earlier in the day, disclosed this via a video he shared on his Instagram page, yesterday.
This came as the investigative panel set up to probe allegations that convicted crossdresser, Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky was kept out of the custodial centre while serving his six-month prison sentence, yesterday turned in its report, dismissing the claims.
Also, in responding, the Interior Minister said the report would not be swept under the carpet as all those indicted would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Admitting that Bobrisky was arrested, yesterday at the Seme Border while trying to flee the country, Service Public Relations Officer SPRO, Kenneth Udo said the cross-dresser is a “person of interest.”
He said; “In keeping with its commitment to securing the borders, NIS intercepted Okuneye otherwise known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border over an attempt to exit the country.
“The Service wishes to inform the public that Okuneye is a person of interest over recent issues of public concern. He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.
“The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the country’s borders.”
On his part, Otse had alleged that Bobrisky’s arrest by the officers of NIS was linked to his attempt to evade an ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives.
Otse had been invited to answer questions over the viral leaked audio recordings in which Bobrisky allegedly admitted to bribing officials of the prisons, to avoid imprisonment.
The recordings also implicated Bobrisky in a money laundering case that was allegedly dropped by the EFCC.
“Bobrisky was arrested this morning at the Seme border while trying to enter the Benin Republic to escape the current investigation by the House of Reps.
“He is allegedly being held by Nigerian immigration. Let’s wait for Bob to debunk this,” Otse said.
How Bobrisky enjoyed special privileges in jail -Panel
The committee, however, said Bobrisky enjoyed certain privileges behind bars.
Specifically, Bobrisky enjoyed specially furnished single cells, humidifier, lots of visitation by his family members and friends as he desired, visits held inside the office of the officer in charge of the custodial centre, floor rug, self-feeding, designated inmate to run errands for him, access to fridge and television, and possibly access to his phone.
On the issue of Abdulrasheed Maina’s son sending money to the personal account of the Kuje Prison Deputy Controller of Prisons, Kelvin Ikechukwu, the panel said the allegation was true.
A member of the panel, Uju Agomoh, who is the Executive Director and founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action PRAWA, said the panel “Did not find any evidence thus far that suggested that Mr. Okuneye slept outside the prison centre during the period of his imprisonment, which was from April 12, 2024 to August 5, 2024, which is a six-month sentence with the usual remission applicable.”
Interior Minister, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo had on September 30, 2024, inaugurated a five-member investigative panel to investigate allegations of corruption, torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of inmates by prison officers; examine violations of laid down rules and regulations
governing the conduct of correctional officers and the treatment of inmates.
Panel findings
The panel said it “did not find any evidence thus far that suggested that Okuneye slept outside prison custody during the period of his imprisonment which was from April 12, 2024, to August 5, 2024, which is six months correctional sentence with the usual 1/3 remission.
“During this period, he was transferred from Ikoyi prison to Medium Security prison, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos on April 12, 2024, and on April 22, 2024, from Medium Security prison, Kirikiri to the Maximum-Security prison, from where he was discharged after completion of his sentence on August 5, 2024.
“The decisions to transfer Okuneye from Ikoyi prison, Lagos to the Medium Security prison, Kirikiri, Lagos on April 12, 2024, and from the Medium Security prison, Kirikiri, Lagos to the Maximum-Security prison, Kirikiri, Lagos on April 22, 2024, were made by Mr Ben Rabbi-Freeman, who was then the State Controller, Lagos State Command. He is the current Assistant Controller General of prison, Zone ‘A’. The State Controllers of prisons have the
power by law to transfer an inmate from one prison to another within the same state.”
Improper documentation, rules’ violations
“Proper documentation of Okuneye was not made prior, or as he was being
transferred from Ikoyi prison to Medium prison, and from Medium prison, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos to the Maximum prison, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos. The documents were later provided on September 28, 2024, and backdated to April 12, 2024, and April 22, 2024, respectively. These are in violations of section 168 and 169 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Standing Order Custodial.”
We won’t sweep report under carpet – Minister
Responding, the Interior Minister said the report will not be swept under the carpet as all those indicted would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He said: “So, for us, we have started the journey. Today is not a destination. That is the simple truth. Those two isolated issues, we have gotten to the bottom of it and any officer who is found wanting according to this report will pass through the necessary disciplinary processes of the Board and we will make sure that those officers, their actions are meted with appropriate sanctions that the law demand.
“The end of this is the beginning of another and that is the Phase 2 because I don’t want it to be that at any point in time, we are talking about isolated cases. We must be able to reform the Service, create a service that will work for the people of Nigeria, that will be corrective, transformative and rehabilitative in nature, not one that will be condemnatory. We don’t want to create a service that destroys inmates. We want one that builds people and gives them a second lease of life. I want to assure you that the second phase has started.
“We will make the report public as I had promised before and we will follow it up with actions. The era where you err and there are no repercussions is gone. Now, for every action, there must be a reaction.
Once you err and you deliberately flout the law, you should know that there will be repercussions and I assure you that the sleepless nights that you have put into this will not be a waste because we will not sweep this under the carpet. This is the era of business unusual and renewed hope,” he added.
