The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) clarified recent claims made by Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, regarding his alleged special treatment while serving a jail sentence. Bobrisky reportedly claimed that he bribed officials and used a powerful “godfather” connection to serve his sentence in a private apartment.
Recall that controversial activist, VeryDarkMan, shared a video in which Bobrisky purportedly claimed that he bribed some Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials to drop the money laundering charge against him.
In the footage, a voice allegedly belonging to Bobrisky also claimed that a “godfather” alongside Haliru Nababa, the controller general of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), ensured she served the six-month sentence in a private apartment and not in prison.
However, in an interview with Punch, a high-ranking officer said that what people called VIP treatment for certain prisoners was a special facility that had existed for years.
In response, an NCoS senior official explained to Punch that what some interpret as “VIP treatment” is actually a specialized facility used based on inmates’ needs, such as health, age, and gender considerations, which is standard practice across custodial centers. Specifically for Bobrisky, the officer detailed the unique approach taken due to Bobrisky’s gender identity, stating, “The NCoS authority confirmed that he is a woman from the middle upward, while he is a man from the middle downward,” necessitating a separate cell to prevent abuse.
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.”
The official emphasized that the term “private apartment” was a misunderstanding, as the facility was arranged for Bobrisky’s specific needs, underscoring the NCoS’s commitment to inmates’ human rights and appropriate accommodations based on individual conditions.
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