Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, may soon face new criminal charges amid allegations that he served his jail term in a private residence and paid bribes to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to have money laundering charges dismissed.
Sources from Sunday PUNCH reveal that a panel convened to investigate these allegations has recommended that Bobrisky be prosecuted for defamation and related criminal offenses.
Bobrisky was initially sentenced on April 12 to six months’ imprisonment for his involvement in currency abuse, and he was released on August 5.
Shortly after his release, social critic Martins Otse, known online as VeryDarkMan, circulated an audio recording of a conversation allegedly between Bobrisky and another individual.
In the recording, Bobrisky reportedly claimed to have bribed EFCC officers with N15 million to drop money laundering charges and paid Nigerian Correctional Service officials to allow him to serve his sentence in a private apartment.
On September 30, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, established an investigative panel to examine the allegations against Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky. The panel was chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Magdalena Ajani.
In its report, the panel concluded that there was no evidence indicating Bobrisky spent any nights outside the Kirikiri Custodial Centre during his six-month sentence.
According to details obtained exclusively by Sunday PUNCH, the report found that Bobrisky’s claims falsely damaged the reputation of the correctional service.
Additionally, the panel recommended that the Department of State Services investigate whether he, either directly or through intermediaries, bribed officials of the EFCC or the correctional service.
Should these bribery allegations be proven, the panel advised that Bobrisky should face charges for corrupt practices.
“The Nigerian Correctional Service should file defamation suits against Bobrisky under sections 373-375 of the Criminal Code Act for his false claims about bypassing the prison system, tarnishing the institution’s reputation.
“The DSS should be requested to investigate whether Bobrisky, directly or through a proxy, bribed EFCC or NCoS officials. If substantiated, Bobrisky should face charges under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act for bribing public officials,” the report partly read.
The panel also indicted four correctional officers, recommending disciplinary action in line with the NCoS’s conditions of service, civil service regulations, and relevant laws.
Among those recommended for sanctions is former Controller of Corrections, Ben Rabbi-Freeman.
He was accused of “effecting the transfer of Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju without proper documentation of Form 5 and Form 5A from the Medium-Security Custody Centre to the Maximum-Security Custodial Centre on April 22, 2024, after over four months of the transfer date, and after the inmate had ended his imprisonment term; backdating the transfer documentation in relation to 1a and 1b above.
“Causing the in-charge Ikoyi Custodial Centre, in-charge Medium-Security Custodial Centre, and in-charge Maximum-Security Custodial Centre to sign backdated transfer documents in relation to Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju.”
Additionally, Deputy Controller of Corrections Michael Anugwa, who oversaw the Kirikiri Medium Security facility, claimed during a parliamentary inquiry that he had not been suspended despite an official order from the Minister of Interior.
He has since been recommended for disciplinary action.
Anugwa was cited for admitting Bobrisky into the Medium Security Custodial Centre on April 12, 2024, without the required documentation or transfer authorization.
“DCC Balogun Sikiru (retd) — formerly in-charge of Maximum Security Custodial Centre for receiving Bobrisky into the Maximum Security Custodial Centre without the relevant documentation on April 22, 2024, and without the necessary transfer documentation, and DCC Sikiru Kamoru Adekunle who was in charge of the Maximum Security Custodial Centre for backdating the transfer documentation in relation to receiving of Okuneye Idris into the Maximum Security Custodial Centre on April 22, 2024, which was a period he was yet to resume as the in-charge of the Maximum Security Custodial Centre.”
The panel also recommended an audit of all inmates and detainees across NCoS custodial centers, including their warrants and related records. It advised establishing a mechanism to conduct and maintain this audit as a weekly oversight measure.
It demanded “decommercialisation of all welfare and support services to inmates with immediate effect and ensuring that adequate funding and oversight are put in place to ensure the continuation of these. This will also include building sustainable partnerships with civil society organisations (example, with relevant NGOs and professional associations) on some or all of these.”
“Facilitate the effective implementation of non-custodial measures across the entire country to help reduce the number of people in custodial centres by utilising imprisonment only as a last resort,” the report added.
A senior management official from the NCoS informed Sunday PUNCH that what some refer to as “VIP treatment” for certain prisoners is actually a long-standing specialized facility.
The official explained that custodial centers offer various facilities, and factors such as a prisoner’s health, age, and gender determine the facility in which they serve their sentence.
The officer said, “There are different facilities in the custodial centres across the country, and it is not out of place to treat some of the prisoners according to their health conditions, sex, age, and category of the sentence. Importantly, the prison authority also considers human rights and the treatment of the prisoners.
“The case of Bobrisky is an eye-opener for us. The NCoS authority confirmed that he is a woman from the middle upward, while he is a man from the middle downward. We had never had such a person in our custody, and there is no facility for such a situation. He had to be placed in a separate cell so that he wouldn’t be abused. That facility is what he ignorantly called a private apartment.
“Whether VIP or not, the condition of a prisoner will determine the facility he/she is going to stay in. We can’t put a prisoner who has high blood pressure in a cell without enough ventilation.”
READ ALSO: Bobrisky Rushed to Hospital After Showing Signs of Illness in Police Custody
The case of Okuneye has ignited discussions around human rights and the recognition of crossdressers, transgender, and transsexual individuals within the nation’s legal system, institutions, and public facilities.
In conversations with Sunday PUNCH, several activists emphasized the need for the government and its institutions to acknowledge and accommodate these individuals.
They argued that sexual orientation and gender identity should be recognized as fundamental human rights protected by the Nigerian government.
One activist, Femi Adeyeye, highlighted that the Kirikiri Custodial Centre, where Bobrisky was held, failed to provide accommodations suitable for individuals of diverse gender identities.
Adeyeye called on the Federal Government to respect the rights of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and to establish specialized facilities for transgender inmates.
“A special cell for transgender persons is a welcome development; it’s something the government should look into,” he stated.
Another activist, Michael Adaramoye, pointed out that the Nigerian society had not come to terms with the reality of a growing transgender population.
(Punch)
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