- Vows No One ‘ll Be Spared
By kawaekwune Jeffrey
The Federal Government has set up an investigative panel to investigate allegations of corruption and violations within the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS).
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Monday, September 30, 2024, while inaugurating the panel in Abuja.
The panel which is chaired cmby the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani has a mandate to get to the root of all the issues and allegations over Bobrisky.
The Minister said investigations became necessary following the latest controversy involving cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky and the need to get to the root of the matter with a view to punishing those found culpable.
Tunji-Ojo who underlined the need for transparency urged panel members to be above board and come up with a comprehensive report on the matter.
He stated: “We want to reform the correctional service. Your core responsibility is to investigate specific allegations of corruption, torture, and mistreatment of inmates by correctional officers, especially the immediate one on Bobrisky which I expect to be out in two weeks.
“We will rely on your legal guidance to be sure that whatever we do is in line with the law of the land. I want to say this very clearly, nobody will be shielded. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be shielded.”
In her remarks, Ajani assured the public that the panel would do its best to fulfil its mandate. The six-member panel includes Omotese Eva (Ministry’s Director of Legal), Nasir Usman (Ministry’s Director, Joint Services), Dr. Uju Agomoh (President, Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action), and Dr. Ikechukwu Ezeugo (Forensic Researcher and Human Rights Radio consultant).
It would be recalled that lingering allegations emerged after an audio recording surfaced in the public domain in which Bobrisky, allegedly claimed that he bribed EFCC officials with N15 million to quash a money laundering case.
In the audio, Bobrisky also purportedly claimed that he evaded a six-month jail term at the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos through arrangements by his godfather, which ensured he stayed in a lodge instead of the prison.
However, while reacting to the allegations, the crossdresser had vehemently denied saying such. Bobrisky also distanced himself from the audio, saying his voice was doctored with AI.
