The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has reaffirmed that crossdresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, was assigned an appropriate cell and underwent proper evaluation during his time in jail.
NCoS Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Umar, made this statement while providing updates on the investigation into claims that Bobrisky bribed officials to serve his sentence in a private apartment rather than a regular cell.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Umar explained that the Correctional Service conducts a thorough inmate admission process to ensure the safety of all inmates and staff before cell assignments are made.
He urged the public to be patient and await the final report from the committee investigating the allegations.
Bobrisky was convicted in April for defacing the naira and sentenced to six months in jail, before being released in August.
However, social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), alleged in a viral audio recording that Bobrisky spent his jail time in a private apartment and claimed that he paid ₦15 million to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials to drop money laundering charges against him.
The controversy generated by the allegations, prompted the federal government, through the Minister Of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to set up a committee to investigate the allegations.
Giving an update on the matter and activities of the NCoS, Umar, in his chat with newsmen on Sunday, said: “Well, upon conviction of every offender from court, either awaiting trial or convicted, once they are brought to our facility, there is a process they go through before and during admission.
“Let me say during admission, there is what we call an admission board, which comprises the officer in charge, the second in command, the medical officer in charge of the custodial center, the record officer and other relevant officers.
“They will go through the information contained therein in the warrants, also, before he will be allocated a cell, there is what we call, determination of security.
“Determination of security refers to one’s risk assessment. The person risks self-harm and, the safety of other inmates and officers. We also have what we call needs assessment, which is focused on criminogenic need areas.
“These are behaviours that may cause, criminal behavioural and other criminological needs. These are the things that we look into before an inmate is allocated cell.
“Furthermore, we also look at what we refer to as responsivity issues. There are things that can affect his participation in intervention or make it difficult for him to adjust to custodial life.
“So, having worked all this in, then it will be determined which cell such inmates will be allocated to.”
Umar added that Bobrisky, during his court appearance and subsequent admission to the NCoS facility, identified himself as male, but there are some other physical features that are on him which were considered before allocating a cell to him.
“So because of that determination, I mean, what I refer to as classification and also the determination of security of the custodial center, he was given an appropriate cell where he was kept.
“This is to also ensure that, he is not under threat within our custodial centers and he is kept safe also.
“Well, one thing I want to say here is that the Minister of interior has set up a committee to investigate the said alleged Bobrisky staying outside our custodial center.
“So until the determination of such or the outcome of such investigations, I think we should let it rest.
“I am only telling you that once an inmate or people are convicted, or are brought to our custodial centres, we have a standard of treatment to them during admission.
“They will be put through checks and these checks guide us on determination of security of such person both to the person and to the custodial center.
“But as to whether he was kept in our custodial facilities or he was kept outside the facility, until the determination of the outcome of the investigation on the allegations, I won’t be able to speak further on that,” the spokesperson maintained.
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