By Ajibola Adedoye
Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR), has commended the Ministry of Interior for promptly sacking four officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) for allegedly providing a private accomodation for a controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye popularly called Bobrisky close to the prison facility when he was suppose to be serving a jail term he was convicted for.
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Comrade Alex Omotehinse, CHSR President, who gave this commendation today in Lagos while addressing a press conference on the ‘State of the Nation and the Fight Against Corruption’ also applauded Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) for constituting an investigation team to look into the N15million bribery allegations against men and officer of the anti-graft agency. According to report, the officers allegedly received the bribe from the cross-dresser so they could drop the money laundering charges against him.
The CHSR President said: “The investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, should determine whether or not there was any financial inducement by Bobrisky or anyone on his behalf in exchange for the dropping of money laundering charges against him. Any person found complicit must face the full weight of the law.
“As an organization we urged the EFCC leadership for an open, sincere and thorough investigation, the case must not be sweep under the carpet so that Nigerians can see and know that the agency is not and will not condone corruption within the ranks of its working staff. Any culpable officers must be bring to justice to serve as deterrent to others”.
Talking about the private accomodation provided for Bobrisky and the involvement of prison officials in Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos, Comrade Omotehinse opined that: “The level of corruption in the Nigeria Correctional Centres by the officials are on the high side and this did not just start today, it is a known fact to many Nigerians that once you have a loaded financial purse you will be giving a preferential treatment at the prison yard”.
He said: “The patronage do start from the court premises immediately a suspect is being asked to be taking to custody pending the perfection of the person’s bail, the correctional center officers start billing the suspect and they charge money as if it a legitimate fees one need to pay and if you did not meet their demand they will tell the suspect point blank that he is going there to suffer as he will end up at the general cell therefore we implore the anti graft agencies to beam their search light more on them so as curb future embarrassment to Security network” he stressed.
In the same vein, Comrade Omotehinse said “CHSR as a social crusader frowned at the position of the Kogi State Assembly, during Monday’s 23rd September 2024 plenary section condemning EFCC’s siege to the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, in an attempt to arrest Yahaya Bello last Wednesday. The lawmakers accused the anti graft agency of attempting to assassinate both former and incumbent Governor Usman Ododo by allegedly firing gunshots during the attempt to arrest Bello in Abuja.
“We strongly condemned such an unpatriotic move by the State Assembly which supposed to be the voice of both the rich and poor people of Kogi State. Infact, Kogi State government ought to have constituted panel of enquiry to look into Yahaya Bello government regime.
“The EFCC as a creation of the National Assembly is saddled with the responsibility to investigates and enforce all economic and financial crimes laws in Nigeria. This is exactly what they have done by filing case against the former governor before a court of competent jurisdiction, so why hulabaloo?
“The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 ordered former governor Yahaya Adoza Bello to present himself before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, for arraignment before any further action could be undertaken in his case. The ruling was part of an unanimous judgment of the Appeal Court Justices, delivered by Hon Justice I.K. Amadi in the appeal filed by J.S.Okutepa, (SAN) on behalf of the EFCC, against the judgment of Justice Isah Abdullahi Jamil of the Kogi State High Court in the fundamental right case filed by Bello in February 2024 in relation to his prosecution by the Commission. The Appeal Court Justices further held that the freeing of Yahaya Bello from EFCC’s prosecution by Justice Jamil of the Kogi State High Court “under the guise of enforcing his fundamental rights was “scandalous,” noting that “It is very clear that the purpose of the case instituted at the trial court was to shield the respondent Yahaya Bello from his criminal trial.
“CHSR believed and convinced beyond any doubt that the continued defiance of court orders not only undermines the integrity of the judiciary but also erodes public trust in our law enforcement agencies. The Security Men (Nigeria Police Force and DSS) attached to the incumbent Governor of Kogi State Usman Ododo are on daily basis being used to prevent arrest of Yahaya Bello so as to avert justice. The Inspector General of Police and Director of State Security Services should intervene to fulfill their constitutional duties and ensure that justice prevails
Recall that Bobrisky was sentenced to six months in prison in April by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos after he pleaded guilty to a naira abuse charge preferred against him by the EFCC. He was released on August 5 after serving his terms. Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello is also has a money laundering case to answer with the EFCC with October 30, 2024, set for a ruling on the case.
CHSR is a public good oriented Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered as a corporate body to defend, sustain and promote the fundamental human and socio-economic rights of citizens and residents in any part of Nigeria as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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