Fresh controversy has trailed the recent arrest of a popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, as a traditional ruler in Lagos, the Baale of Kirikiri Town, Chief Babalola Shabi has accused officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) of aiding a bribery scheme that allegedly allowed the socialite to enjoy VIP treatment while serving his sentence.
Shabi made the allegations during a town hall meeting organised by the Lagos State Police Command on Saturday, in commemoration of the National Police Week.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
According to the monarch, Bobrisky smuggled eight Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards into the Kirikiri custodial facility and allegedly used them to channel over N35 million through Point of Sale (POS) operators in the area. The funds, he claimed, were used to bribe correctional officers for preferential treatment.
“Before the truth came out, everyone believed he was in Kirikiri serving his time. But the reality is that Bobrisky was living comfortably outside the prison walls, thanks to a criminal collaboration involving some officials,” Shabi alleged.
He further disclosed that it was his intervention that led to the exposure of the scandal. “I personally called in the EFCC after I summoned the POS operators to my palace. From there, they were able to trace the transactions and decode the money trail,” he said.
Shabi added that some correctional officers approached POS vendors to withdraw funds from Bobrisky’s ATM cards, suggesting a well-organised operation.
“It was shocking how N35 million could be sourced from around here so quickly. Clearly, this was not a one-man job. The officials who aided him have been suspended,” he stated.
The traditional ruler said the private apartment where Bobrisky was allegedly housed during the sentence had since been identified and demolished. He also confirmed that both the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had interrogated him over the matter.
“The DSS first invited me for questioning, and I told them everything I knew. The EFCC also reached out, and I gave them my full cooperation. As a community leader, I cannot allow this type of impunity to go unchecked,” he said.
Shabi’s account contradicts an earlier report by a National Assembly panel, which claimed that although Bobrisky received preferential treatment, he remained within prison premises throughout his term.
Bobrisky was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in 2024 for abusing the naira and was reportedly released in August of that year.
Meanwhile, controversial social critic, Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, had earlier released a voice note allegedly featuring Bobrisky claiming she paid N15 million to EFCC officials to drop a money laundering charge against her.
In the recording, Bobrisky also claimed that a “godfather,” in collaboration with correctional officers, arranged for her to serve the prison term in a private apartment rather than within the correctional facility.
The revelations have triggered renewed public outrage and a reported internal probe by authorities into alleged corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service.