O
Oladipo Abiola
Guest
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) on Sunday, maintained that crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, was given an appropriate cell and proper evaluation during his time in jail.
The Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) of the NCoS, Abubakar Umar, gave the submission while giving updates on the investigations into allegations that Bobrsiky bribed officials to spend his jail term in an exclusive apartment instead of a normal jail.
Umar, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, also disclosed that the Correctional Service conducts a comprehensive inmate admission process before allocating cells in order to ensure the safety of all inmates and officers of the service.
He, however, maintained that members of the public should exercise patience and await the final outcome from the committee set up to investigate the allegations.
Naija News recalls that Bobrisky was convicted for mutilating the naira in April, and he was sentenced to six months in jail and released in August.
However, a social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, aka VeryDarkMan (VDM), alleged in a viral audio recording that Bobrisky spent his jail term in a private apartment, not in the prison cell.
He also alleged that Bobrisky paid ₦15 million to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to drop charges of money laundering 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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