The investigative panel set up by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to probe the prison term of Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has released the first part of its report, News About Nigeria reports.
The report which was released on Monday in Abuja, noted that Bobrisky enjoyed special privileges while at the Medium and the Maximum Security Custodial Centres.
While reading the phase one report of the panel, a member of the panel and the Executive Director and founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, Uju Agomoh, stated that Bobrisky enjoyed several privileges while in both custodial centres, including furnished single cells, a humidifier, and many visits from his family members and friends.
Recall that a controversial social critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, had shared a voice note allegedly belonging to Bobrisky, who claimed that a “godfather,” alongside staff members of the Nigerian Correctional Service, ensured he served the six-month sentence in a private apartment and not in prison.
On September 30, the minister constituted an investigative panel chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Magdalena Ajani, and ordered a probe into the alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Agomoh, however, noted that it is necessary to further investigate if the above privileges provided for Bobrisky were financially motivated and based on corrupt practices by correctional officers.
The report reads, “The panel also found that Mr. Okuneye Idris enjoyed several privileges while in custody, both at the Medium Security and the Maximum Security Custodial Centres, which include, especially the following: furnished single cells, humidifier, lots of visits by his family members and friends as he desired, self-feeding, designated inmates to run errands for him, access to fridge and television, and possibly access to his phone.
“It is necessary to further investigate if the above privileges provided for Okuneye Idris were financially motivated and based on corrupt practices by correctional officers.
“The panel believes that the peculiar case of the inmates and the inmates’ physical look and behaviour pose a threat, and the lack of laid-down rules for the treatment of such a case may have necessitated such privileges to be granted to Okunenye Idris.”
