The Nigerian House of Representatives has initiated an investigation into serious bribery allegations involving two key national institutions: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
The claims suggest that officials from both agencies accepted bribes in exchange for favoring popular social media influencer Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky.
The accusations, brought to light by Martins Otse, commonly known as “VeryDarkMan” on social media, claim that the EFCC dropped money laundering charges against Bobrisky after allegedly receiving a bribe of N15 million.
Otse also alleges that after Bobrisky was convicted of defacing the Nigerian currency, he did not serve time in the correctional facility as required by law. Instead, Bobrisky reportedly stayed outside the official confines of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Rep Patrick Umoh, representing Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, raised the issue on the House floor during Thursday’s plenary session.
Umoh expressed serious concern about the impact these allegations could have on Nigeria’s international image, emphasizing that such accusations could worsen perceptions of corruption in the country.
Addressing fellow lawmakers, Umoh noted that the allegations were widely publicized and posed a serious threat to the reputation of law enforcement in Nigeria.
He said, “The publication alleges that the EFCC dropped money laundering charges against Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky upon collection of the sum of N15,000, 000.
“The publication alleges that Idris Okuneye, upon conviction for abuse and defacing of the Naira, by the court, did not serve his time at the Nigeria Correctional Service, but was lodged outside the confines of the service.
“We are disturbed about the damning allegations against Nigerian critical law enforcement agencies-the EFCC and the NCS established by this hallowed chambers to fight correction and incarcerate persons convicted of a crime for correctional purposes respectively.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, presided over the session and referred the case to the Committees on Financial Crimes and Reformatory Institutions. The committees have been tasked with investigating the claims and are expected to submit a detailed report within three legislative weeks.
