The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Wednesday, ordered a thorough investigation into allegations of bribery within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Although the minister did not mention any specific case, his directive comes on the heels of a voice note shared by Martins Otse, a.k.a. VeryDarkMan, in which Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, claimed that after his conviction and sentencing for abuse of the naira notes in April, his godfather, in collaboration with the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for him to serve his six-month sentence in a private apartment.
This was as human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), denied any involvement with Bobrisky and gave VeryDarkMan a 24-hour ultimatum to retract the statement he made linking him to Bobrisky.
“We wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that our client (Falana) has never, in his life, spoken to Brobrisky on his alleged pardon or on any matter whatsoever,” Falana’s lawyer stated in their letter to VeryDarkMan demanding a retraction and an apology.
In a voice note played online by VeryDarkMan, a voice, believed to be Bobrisky’s, was heard saying: “There’s jealousy involved. When I got to court, I admitted guilt, hoping for either a fine or community service. However, the court sentenced me. On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.
“After they spoke, I was taken to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the person at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not let me leave. The person said he’d collect N10m, so I had to call Elele again. Elele gave me N2m because there was no one else to call.”
In the same viral voice note, Bobrisky also allegedly claimed that he paid a N15m bribe to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to drop money laundering charges against him, leaving only abuse of naira charges, of which he was convicted and sentenced.
According to the voice note, he also allegedly claimed to have been contacted by the rap musician, Falz, and his human rights lawyer father, Falana, who proposed to help him seek the Federal Government’s pardon for a N10m fee.
Reacting to the raging controversy in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Alao Babatunde, the interior minister ordered an immediate probe, stressing that no form of indiscipline would be condoned under his watch.
“The Minister of Interior has directed an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, or corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the ministry’s purview.
“The ministry will not tolerate any compromise on its core values of integrity, transparency, and accountability. We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out corruption and ensuring that those found culpable face the full wrath of the law,” Alao said in the statement.
He added that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani, would head the team investigating the allegations.
He said, “The minister has called for a special investigative team, headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, to probe these allegations and submit a comprehensive report.
“The minister reassures the public that the investigation will be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, and that appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken against any personnel found guilty.”
Meanwhile, Falana has written a pre-action letter to VeryDarkMan, who disseminated the vote note, demanding a retraction of the alleged defamatory statement against him.
In a letter, written on his behalf by Taiwo Olawanle of Falana and Falana Chambers, the SAN gave the social media influencer 24 hours to retract the statement and tender an apology or he would face legal action.
The letter read partly: “We are counsel for Mr Femi Falana SAN (hereinafter referred to as “our client”), on whose behalf we write this letter regarding your publication and dissemination of defamatory statements against him.
“Your publication of September 25, 2024, on your Instagram page captioned ‘In everything and everyone that is mentioned here, I will be disappointed if truly FALZ and his father are involved in this whole Bobrisky issue…’ refers.
“In publishing the statement on several online platforms, you informed your large viewership that Mr. Femi Falana ‘spoke to Bobrisky in order to divert justice’.
“Your publication contained multiple allegations and that you did not expect Mr Femi Falana, who was a lawyer to the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, whom everyone respects, to ‘engage in something like this?’.
“Your publication further alleged that Mr Femi Falana SAN wanted to get a presidential pardon for Bobrisky for the sum of N10,000,000.00.
“As if that was not enough, you proceeded to state as follows: ‘I don’t even believe that Femi Falana would bring himself down to this level, the whole Femi Falana would engage himself with something like this’… ‘The man started the pardon and he said he wanted to send it to the Minister of Justice in Abuja, who will send it to the President to approve it but you know Nigeria with corruption.’
“’Femi FALANA collected N10,000,000 in order to wipe his name off record. These are people I respected. These are people I look up to…it is obvious that Nigeria will not go anywhere soon.’”
The letter said the social media post by VeryDarkMan portrayed Falana in a bad light as “the direct meaning of the imputation, and/or innuendo contained in the false, misleading and defamatory statements is that: Mr Femi Falana is deceitful and that his motivation for fighting against injustice and corruption in Nigeria and entire Africa is a ruse.
“Mr Femi Falana spoke to Bobrisky to divert justice (sic) with a view to perverting justice for financial gains and material benefits.
“Mr. Femi Falana solicited a brief from Bobrisky and thereby contravened the Legal Practitioner Rules of Professional Conduct.
“Mr Femi Falana has participated in a device that constitutes subterfuge in concert with others who you also characterised as corrupt.”
“Mr Falana’s fight against injustice is inconsistent with his publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.”
“Mr Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has engaged in conduct that is incompatible with his professional role and duty as a legal practitioner in Nigeria.”
The chamber described VeryDarkMan’s publication as “a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of our client and lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public.”
It said while the social media influencer had the fundamental right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution, “you are duty bound to ensure that what you publish and disseminate is credible and factual in every material particular. In other words, you have no right under the law to damage the reputation of any citizen by spreading baseless allegations based on sheer falsehood.”
The lawyers, therefore, “demand immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication as well as an apology prominently published in all the platforms to which you have disseminated it without any justification whatsoever.”
“Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 24 hours of the receipt hereof, we shall proceed with our client’s instructions to seek appropriate legal remedies, including monetary damages, against you for your incendiary publication and dissemination of defamatory statements,” they stated.