The Federal Government has suspended several senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) following bribery allegations related to the case of popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky.
A blogger, Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, had claimed in viral videos that officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accepted ₦15 million from Bobrisky to drop money laundering charges against him, stemming from his naira-spraying incident in April. Following the event, Bobrisky was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. The blogger further alleged that Bobrisky paid millions to secure preferential treatment in prison.
Bobrisky has denied all allegations, and both the EFCC and NCoS have launched investigations into the claims made by the blogger.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board announced the suspension of the officers in connection with the viral video detailing the alleged misconduct. The statement, signed by Ja’afaru Ahmed, explained that the suspensions are intended to facilitate further investigations, with the assurance that the findings will be made public once concluded.
The suspended officers include Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) in charge of the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kirikiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) overseeing the Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) at Kirikiri, Lagos State.
Additionally, ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, an officer at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, was suspended for allegedly escorting a convicted inmate outside the facility.
In a separate development, the Board also suspended Iloafonsi Kevin Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) in charge of the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Kuje, Abuja, for allegedly receiving payments on behalf of an inmate.