The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered a thorough and unconditional investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Minister’s media aide, Babatunde Alao, expressed strong condemnation of the alleged misconduct.
The Minister also stressed that any instances of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, and corruption will be addressed with zero tolerance and strict penalties within the paramilitary services overseen by the Ministry.
“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,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The Minister was said to have called for a special investigative team headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, to probe these allegations and submit a comprehensive report.
He assured the public that the investigation will be thorough, transparent, and impartial, with appropriate disciplinary measures taken against any personnel found guilty.
This inquiry was initiated in response to bribery allegations made by Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, in a video released by blogger Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
In the viral audio, Bobrisky claimed to have paid N15 million to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to have a money laundering charge against him dropped.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, announced that the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has assembled a team of investigators to thoroughly examine the situation.
Bobrisky was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on August 5, after spending six months in custody. He was sentenced by a Federal High Court in Lagos in April without an option of fine, following his guilty plea to a charge of naira abuse brought against him by the EFCC.