Bribery Scandal: FG Panel Exposes How Bobrisky Served His Jail Term

An investigative panel established by the Federal Government has exposed details about how popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, served his six-month prison sentence.

Dtruth Insights recalls that Bobrisky, who was sentenced on April 12, 2024, for abusing the naira, was released on August 5, 2024.

However, controversy began when activist VeryDarkMan shared a video in which Bobrisky allegedly claimed to have bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to drop a money laundering charge.

The crossdresser also purportedly boasted about having a “godfather” and the support of Haliru Nababa, the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), which supposedly allowed him to serve his sentence in a private apartment instead of prison.

In response to these allegations, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, convened a special investigative panel on September 30, chaired by Magdalena Ajani, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, to look into claims of corruption and other violations within the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Reading the phase one report of the panel at the ministry of interior on Monday, Uju Agomoh, 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 custodial centre during the period of his imprisonment, which was from 12th April 2024 to the 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 Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kirikiri-Apapa, Lagos; and then to the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, from where she was discharged after completion of her sentence.

The panel, 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.

“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,” the statement reads.

“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.”