Bribery allegations involving two senior Nigerian prison officials have led to their suspension in connection with the controversial transgender celebrity Bobrisky.
These suspensions come after accusations from popular social media influencer, Martins Otse (known as VeryDarkMan), that certain anti-corruption officials accepted bribes to dismiss money laundering charges against Bobrisky—a claim Bobrisky has rejected.
Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, was freed from prison last month after completing a six-month sentence for mishandling the local currency, naira. However, a court threw out the money laundering charges against her.
Last year, Nigeria was ranked 145th out of 180 countries on the Transparency International corruption index, with government offices identified as hotspots for bribery.
Both the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have launched investigations into a viral video, which Bobrisky has labeled “false,” supposedly tying her to the bribery scandal.
In the leaked footage, a voice claimed to be Bobrisky’s is heard saying that $9,000 (£7,000) was paid to EFCC officials to drop the money laundering case.
Additionally, it was alleged that millions of naira were paid to secure a private apartment near the prison where Bobrisky supposedly served her sentence.
In an Instagram post, Bobrisky, who has almost five million followers on the platform, vehemently denied these accusations.
“I didn’t pay any EFCC money, which is a very big lie. I served my term in full, and I came out. Discard any false information.”
In a Thursday statement, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board announced the suspension of two prison officers implicated in the bribery scandal, which has sparked widespread outrage across the nation.
Additionally, two other high-ranking prison officials were suspended in connection with unrelated allegations.
“The suspension of these officers is to allow for further investigation on the various allegations while assuring that the outcome would be made public when concluded,” the statement added.