The Federal Government has placed certain senior officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service on suspension due to allegations of bribery linked to the well-known crossdresser Idris Okuneye, commonly referred to as Bobrisky.
Earlier, a social media activist and influence, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, claimed in widely circulated videos that some members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) received ₦15 million from Bobrisky to dismiss money laundering charges against him during his naira spraying incident in April, which ultimately led to a six-month prison sentence.
Additionally, the VeryDarkMan asserted that Bobrisky paid substantial sums to secure a preferred location within the prison.
Bobrisky, however, has refuted these claims, while both the EFCC and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) have initiated investigations into the allegations made by the blogger.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board indicated that the suspension of its officers was a response to the viral video detailing the alleged misconduct.
The statement, signed by Ja’afaru Ahmed, emphasized that the suspensions are intended to facilitate a thorough investigation into the various claims, with a commitment to share the findings publicly once the inquiry is complete.
The officers are “Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), in charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kirikiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), in charge of Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State.”
The Board has also suspended ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for allegedly accompanying a convicted inmate out of the Custodial Centre to a location outside the facility.
In another related development, the Board has equally suspended another Senior Officer of the Service, Iloafonsi Kevin Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kuje-Abuja, for allegedly receiving monies on behalf of an inmate.
