The claims that crossdresser Bobrisky was given preferential treatment while incarcerated for six months for stealing naira banknotes have prompted the Nigerian government to launch a formal investigation.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the interior minister, reportedly ordered the investigation after media reports and public concerns claimed that Bobrisky was treated differently from other prisoners when he was being held in the Kirikiri Maximum Custodial Centre in Lagos.
On Monday, the minister established an independent investigating panel to look into claims of torture, cruel treatment, power abuse, and corruption in the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The investigation will examine Bobrisky’s case, ascertain whether he completed his entire sentence, and evaluate whether his alleged privileges violated prison rules.
Read Also: Nigeria’s D’Tigers Get Government Backing As AfroBasket 2025 Kicks Off In Angola
Examining more general problems in prisons, spotting human rights abuses, and suggesting changes to enhance convicts’ rehabilitation and reintegration are also part of the panel’s duty.
Magdalene Ajani, the panel’s chair and permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, has already ordered the removal of prisoners from the Abeokuta correctional institution because of unhygienic circumstances and asked for information on other detention facilities.
The dispute began in September 2024 when a number of Kirikiri policemen were suspended in response to claims that Bobrisky occupied a private jail residence and that authorities accepted bribes on his behalf.
Following his arrest in April 2024, Bobrisky entered a guilty plea to four charges of money misuse and was subsequently punished.
Within two weeks, the panel is anticipated to deliver its conclusions about the Bobrisky case.
