The Federal Government has directed an ‘unconditional and comprehensive’ investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) involving celebrity crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, a.k.a. Bobrisky.
Minister of Interior, Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the directive on Wednesday in a statement signed by his media aide, Babatunde Alao, following reports that Bobrisky, who was imprisoned for six months over Naira note abuse offences, was given a preferential treatment by NCoS and EFCC officials instead of spending his jail term at a custodial facility in Lagos.
Recall that on Tuesday night, popular social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), released an audio recording in which Bobrisky allegedly claimed he bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with N15million and the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa, to avoid spending his term in jail at the custodial facility.
Bobrisky has since reacted to the viral voice recording in an Instagram post on Wednesday, describing it as fake.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, and corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the Ministry’s purview.
“The Ministry will not tolerate any compromise on its core values of integrity, transparency, and accountability. We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out corruption and ensuring that those found culpable face the full wrath of the law,” He stated.
The Minister, therefore, called for a special investigative team headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, to probe the allegations and submit a comprehensive report.
The statement added that Tunji-Ojo, therefore, reassured the public that the investigation will be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, and that appropriate disciplinary actions would be taken against any personnel found guilty.
