The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
This was disclosed in a statement signed by his media aide, Babatunde Alao, on Wednesday in Abuja.
On Tuesday night, popular influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, released the audio where Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, purportedly claimed he bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with N15 million and the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Haliru Nababa to avoid spending his term in jail.
Reacting, Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasizing that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, and corruption in the Service would be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences.
“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,” 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 reassured the public that the investigation would be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, adding that appropriate disciplinary actions would be taken against any personnel found guilty.
Bobrisky, has since reacted to the viral voice recording in an Instagram post on Wednesday, describing the audio as fake.
He wrote: “My attention has been drawn to a fake voice recording circulating on the internet that I paid EFCC 15 million naira and that I was never in prison.
“I didn’t pay any EFCC money; it is a very big lie. I served my term in full and I came out. Discard any false information.”
Bobrisky was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on August 5 after six months in custody.
A Federal High Court in Lagos had jailed him in April with no option of a fine following his guilty plea to the naira abuse charge preferred against him by the EFCC. (Daily trust)
