The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered a thorough investigation into allegations of bribery within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Although the minister did not mention any specific case, his directive comes on the heels of a voice note shared by Martins Otse, a.k.a. VeryDarkMan, in which Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, claimed that after his conviction and sentencing for abuse of the naira notes in April, his godfather, in collaboration with the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for him to serve his six-month sentence in a private apartment.
In a voice note played online by VeryDarkMan, a voice, believed to be Bobrisky’s, was heard saying: “There’s jealousy involved. When I got to court, I admitted guilt, hoping for either a fine or community service. However, the court sentenced me. On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.
“After they spoke, I was taken to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the person at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not let me leave. The person said he’d collect N10m, so I had to call Elele again. Elele gave me N2m because there was no one else to call.”
Also, according to the voice note, Bobrisky also allegedly claimed to have been contacted by the rap musician, Falz, and his human rights lawyer father, Falana, who proposed to help him seek the Federal Government’s pardon for a N10m fee.
Reacting to the raging controversy in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Alao Babatunde, the interior minister ordered an immediate probe, stressing that no form of indiscipline would be condoned under his watch.
“The Minister of Interior has directed an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, or corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the ministry’s purview.
“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,” Alao said in the statement.
He added that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani, would head the team investigating the allegations.
He said, “The minister has 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.
“The minister reassures the public that the investigation will be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, and that appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken against any personnel found guilty.”
However, in response to the claims in the phone conversation, in a letter written on his behalf by Taiwo Olawanle of Falana and Falana Chambers to VeryDarkMan, Falana says “We wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that our client (Falana) has never, in his life, spoken to Brobrisky on his alleged pardon or on any matter whatsoever,” demanding a retraction and an apology.
Falana gave the social media influencer, VeryDarkMan, 24 hours to retract the statement and tender an apology or he would face legal action.
Besides the Nigerian Correctional Service and Femi Falana, in the same viral voice note, Bobrisky also allegedly claimed that he paid a N15m bribe to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to drop money laundering charges against him, leaving only abuse of naira charges, of which he was convicted and sentenced.
In response to this unfolding saga, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has invited Martins Otse, a.k.a VeryDarkMan, and Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, over bribery allegations against personnel of the Commission.
In a statement on Tuesday, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the invitation of Bobrisky and VDM to its Lagos Directorate was to assist investigators unearth the alleged bribery.
Oyewale said, “The EFCC chairman has ordered an immediate investigation of alleged bribery allegations imputed to some officers of the Commission by Idris Okuneye(a.ka. Bobrisky) in a viral video circulating across the country.“
Oyewale assured Nigerians that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated.
It would be recalled that Bobrisky was initially arraigned on six charges bordering on naira abuse and money laundering to the tune of N127,780,877.98.
The money was said to have been paid into his company’s account number 2830002929, domiciled in Eco Bank Plc, between September 2021 and April 2024.
However, the offence was dropped following a prayer by the counsel for the EFCC, Suleiman Suleiman.
Suleiman was quoted as saying, “We have an agreement with the defendant, which will lead us to withdraw counts 5 and 6. In the circumstance, we’re humbly urging the court to strike out counts 5 and 6, leaving counts 1 to 4 alive.”
He had told the court that the commission had entered into an agreement with Bobrisky.
Bobrisky was, however, convicted of the abuse of the country’s currency.
Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko
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