LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, has attributed the ongoing saga involving popular Nigerian cross-dresser Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky to deeper institutional problems within the country.
Bobrisky’s case sparked widespread discussion after a viral video alleged he paid officials from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) so he could receive special treatment during his jail-stay for naira abuse.
At an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Tunji-Ojo, addressed this issue saying, “When you have an institutional problem, you don’t just provide a knee-jerk approach to solving it.”
“We cannot transfer today’s problem to the future,” he added, stressing the need for institutional reform.
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He emphasized that a committee was established to investigate the matter, focusing not only on Bobrisky’s case but on broader institutional issues, including staff absconding and misconduct.
Furthermore, in viral videos released by blogger Martins Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, there were accusations that Bobrisky paid ₦15 million to some Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officers as bribe to drop the money laundering charges against him after his naira-spraying stunt in April.
Bobrisky, after his conviction was sentenced to six months imprisonment to be served from April to August 2024. The blogger also claimed Bobrisky bribed his way into preferential treatment in prison, all of which Bobrisky has denied.
Following these allegations, both the EFCC and NCoS launched separate investigations. The House of Representatives also called for a probe, which prompted the Federal Government to suspend several senior NCoS officials.
On September 30, 2024, Tunji-Ojo inaugurated a committee to investigate the alleged misconduct within the NCoS. The panel in their report found no evidence Bobrisky spent nights outside the custodial center during his imprisonment with his sentence including the standard remission time.
The Guardian
