The federal government has suspended some Senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service over allegation of infractions on the case of Idris Okuneye also known as Bobrisky.
This was made known yesterday in a statement by the Secretary, Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Board. Ja’afaru Ahmed who gave the suspension order.
At the same time, the House of Representatives, has mandated its Committees on Financial Crimes and Reformatory Institutions to probe corruption allegation against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service and report back to it within 3 legislative weeks.
The statement of the secretary:
“Following the viral video trending on social media on alleged infractions by Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service relating to Mr. Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, has suspended forthwith the following Senior Officers of the Service:
“Michael Anugwa, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State; and Sikiru Adekunle, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Maximum-Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kiri-kiri, Lagos State.
“Also, the Board has suspended ASC II Ogbule Samuel Obinna, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, Ebonyi State, for allegedly accompanying a convicted inmate out of the Custodial Centre to a location outside the facility.”
Inaddition, the board also suspended another Senior Officer of the Service, Iloafonsi Ikechukwu, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), In-Charge of Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kuje- Abuja, for allegedly receiving monies on behalf of an inmate.
“The suspension of these officers is to allow for further investigation on the various allegations while assuring that the outcome would be made public when concluded,” Ahmed said.
On its part, the House’s resolution to probe the EFCC and correctional facility followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance on the need to investigate the allegation of corruption against them, moved by Hon. Dr. Patrick Umoh.
Umoh while presenting the motion noted the disturbing and widely circulated publication from Martins Vincent Otse (also known as VeryDarkMan) against critical Nigerian law enforcement institutions: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service.
He stated that the publication alleged that the EFCC dropped money laundry charges against Idris Okuneye (also known as Bobrisky) upon collection of the sum of Fifteen Million Naira (N15,000,000).
Furthermore, the publication alleged that Okuneye, upon conviction for abuse and defacing of the Naira by the court did not serve his time at the Nigeria Correctional Service, but was lodged outside the confines of the Service, in a hotel.
“The damning allegations against Nigerian critical law enforcement agencies of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Correction Service established by this hallowed Chambers to fight correction and incarcerate persons convicted of crime for correctional purposes, respectively,” Umoh said.
The lawmaker expressed concern over the negative image and portrayal of Nigeria as a corrupt nation and Nigeria’s struggle to redeem itself from such perception.
