Popular Nigerian Crossdresser, Bobrisky spent only three weeks in Kirikiri prison after receiving a six-month sentencing for naira abuse, an investigation by FIJ has revealed
The revelation comes amidst bribery allegations against the officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC
The drama started on Tuesday when Social media activist, VeryDarkMan, released a phone conversation during which Bobrisky confessed to serving her term outside the prison and paying N15 million to have the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) expunge ‘money laundering’ from the charges against her.
The controversy has since attracted renewed attention to corruption in Nigerian prisons, with Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo already ordering “an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service”.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that while Bobrisky was indeed taken to Kirikiri in April after her sentencing, she left after just three weeks.
Meanwhile, she was only officially released from prison in August.
“Bob spent only three weeks here with us in Kirikiri before she was taken out to another place we don’t know,” a prison official said. “That was where she spent her time; it was an ‘arrangee thing’. And money was involved.”
The source also disclosed how Bobrisky was “guarded like a president” until she was “secretly taken away after three weeks”.
“She received VIP treatment all through,” said the source. “She lived in a special cell. The money she said she paid is actually true; no lies. Yes, she paid the money.”
Although the prison authorities did not allow Bobrisky to mingle freely with other inmates, consequently reducing the chances of her eventual disappearance being spotted.
“There was this day one guy was on a video call with his girlfriend, and he suddenly turned the camera on Bobrisky,” the official said. “It was deemed an invasion of Bobrisky’s privacy, so, as punishment, he was locked up in his cell for nearly two months.”
The source added: “As I said, she was heavily guarded, so there weren’t many of such incidents to point at. And she was quietly taken away after three weeks.”
The Nigerian Correctional Service has neither denied nor confirmed claims that Bobrisky did not serve her jail term in Kirikiri.
However, on Thursday night, the NCoS announced that the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board had suspended two deputy controllers of corrections (DCCs) in charge of the medium security custodial centre, Kiri-kiri, Michael Anugwa and Sikiru Adekunle over their unprofessional conduct in handling the case of Bobrisky.
Ja’afaru Ahmed, secretary of the board noted that the suspension was done to pave the way for further investigations.
