•Falana urges Otse to retract publication linking him to Bobrisky
•NBA says N15 million bribery allegation against agency worrisome
Following allegation of bribery and corruption against the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a viral video, the Federal Government has ordered an immediate investigation into the NCOs to unravel the case.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered the investigation, yesterday, in Abuja, following the claims that high ranking officers of the agency compromised in the detention process of popular cross dresser, Okuneye Idris, also known as Bobrisky.
The minister, who condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, and corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the ministry’s purview, said: “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, therefore, called on the special investigative team, headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Magdalene Ajani, to probe the allegations and submit a comprehensive report for further necessary action.
He said that the investigation would be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, and that appropriate disciplinary actions would be taken against any personnel found guilty.
MEANWHILE, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has asked a fellow activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to retract the publication linking him with Bobrisky. VeryDarkMan had alleged that Falana promised Bobrisky to take his case to the Presidency to get him pardoned.
In a voice-note made public on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Bobrisky was heard boasting that he paid N15 million to the EFCC for money laundering charge to be removed from his case and also spoke about how his godfather spoke with the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) to get him an apartment close to the prison and not to be put in he prison.
In July, The Guardian got information that Bobrisky was not in prison but the information could not be verified at that time. However, in a letter to Otse, yesterday, through the Falana and Falana Chambers, Falana demanded that the activist retract the publication within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described as disturbing an allegation that officials of the EFCC collected N15 million bribe to drop a money laundering case against Bobrisky.
The legal body, in a statement signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), while commending the anti-graft agency for its timely decision to probe the matter, however, demanded an independent investigation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
It maintained that an urgent and thorough investigation was needed “to determine whether the bribe was paid or are sometimes paid to influence the nature of charges brought against defendants in criminal cases.”
According to the NBA, which is the umbrella body of legal practitioners in the country, “this investigation will also test the transparency of the investigative process and the procedures for charging defendants in court.”
It further asked the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to not only respond to the allegation that Bobrisky did not serve his jail term in a correctional facility but to also provide transparent details on the conditions under which he served his sentence.