•Tunji-Ojo
The Minister of Interior, Dr.Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, today, Monday, September 30, inaugurated an independent investigative panel to probe allegations of corruption and gross abuse of office levelled against some personnel of the Nigeria Correctional Service, NCoS.
Tunji-Ojo said the inauguration of the panel became necessary to sanitize the service towards attaining transparency and accountability, reports The Nation.
Last week, the Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), suspended several officers overseeing the Maximum and Minimum Custodial Centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, following allegations of misconduct involving the handling of cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised the need for a holistic approach to unravel the issues being investigated, through empirical and fact-finding processes, saying doing so would proffer lasting solutions to the challenges.
“We want to really reform the correctional service. Your core responsibility is to investigate specific allegations of corruption, torture, and mistreatment of inmates by correctional officers, especially the immediate one on Bobrisky which I expect to be out in 2 weeks,” the Minister said.
Headed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalena Ajani, the Minister charged the Panel to uphold justice, without fear or favour to any party.
He said: “We will rely on your legal guidance to be sure that whatever we do is in line with the law of the land. We will rely on you to be able to come up with a way forward, as well as facts that would be made public to Nigerians. I want to say this very clearly, nobody will be shielded. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be shielded.”
While proposing medium- and long-term solutions to prevent future occurrences, the minister further charged the committee to identify systemic issues contributing to violations within the service and recommend concrete actions for immediate redress and policy reforms.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, who is also the Chairperson of the Investigation Panel, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, stated that the committee would do their best to deliver on the mandate.
The committee comprises Omotese Eva (Mrs.), Director Legal; Nasir Usman, Director, Joint Services; Dr. Uju Agomoh, President, Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) who is a former Board Member of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA); and Dr. Ikechukwu Ezeugo, Human Rights Radio consultant, a Forensic Researcher and Social Impact Expert with over 27 years’ experience in corporate leadership.
