A fresh controversy has emerged over the imprisonment of renowned Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, with a traditional ruler in Lagos accusing the Nigerian Correctional Service officials of facilitating a bribery scheme that enabled the socialite to enjoy VIP treatment during his time in custody.
Chief Babalola Shabi, the Baale of Kirikiri Town, also known as “Baale No-Nonsense,” claimed that Bobrisky smuggled eight ATM cards into the Kirikiri Correctional Centre and used them to transfer a sum of N35 million through local Point of Sale (POS) operators. This money, according to Shabi, was used to bribe prison officials, securing Bobrisky special privileges during his incarceration.
Shabi made these allegations at a town hall meeting hosted by the Lagos State Police Command on Saturday as part of the National Police Week celebrations.
The traditional ruler stated that Bobrisky did not actually serve his sentence within the prison but instead stayed in a private apartment arranged by corrupt prison officers. “Before the truth came out, people believed he was in Kirikiri serving his time. The reality is, however, that Bobrisky was living comfortably outside the prison walls, thanks to the criminal actions of some correctional officers,” Shabi said.
According to Shabi, he was instrumental in uncovering the bribery scheme. After gathering local POS operators, he contacted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which followed the money trail and uncovered the details of the transactions.
“I personally called in the EFCC after bringing together the POS operators. They traced the transactions and were able to reveal the money trail,” Shabi explained.
The traditional ruler further revealed that the bribery process involved correctional officers directing POS vendors to withdraw funds from Bobrisky’s ATM cards. The speed at which the N35 million was raised suggested a well-organized network of collaborators, Shabi added.
“It was shocking how quickly N35 million could be raised. This was clearly not a one-man job. The officials involved have since been suspended,” he said.
Additionally, Shabi disclosed that the property where Bobrisky was allegedly kept during his time in custody had been located and demolished. Both the Department of State Services (DSS) and the EFCC have interrogated him regarding the incident.
“The DSS first invited me for questioning, and I shared everything I knew. The EFCC also contacted me, and I fully cooperated. As a community leader, I cannot allow such misconduct to go unchallenged,” Shabi stated.
This account contradicts an earlier report by a National Assembly panel, which claimed that while Bobrisky did receive special treatment, he remained in the prison throughout his sentence.
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