The Nigeria Correctional Service has refuted claims that controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky, who was handed a six-month prison sentence over abuse of the naira notes, was moved from the Ikoyi custodial centre to its other facility in Kirikiri, Lagos State.

Bobrisky was reported to have been discreetly transferred to Kirikiri Prison last weekend where he was expected to complete his term.

An NCoS official however told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that he was still held in the Ikoyi prison.

The official who pleaded anonymity as he was not permitted to speak on the matter, said the convict did not commit a capital offence to warrant his transfer to a maximum prison where inmates serving life and death sentences were mostly kept.

“Bobrisky has not been moved, he is still here in Ikoyi. He was not sentenced to death and didn’t get a life sentence either. Those people sentenced to death and given life sentences are mostly kept in the maximum prison. That is mostly based on capital punishment. As for Bobrisky, he didn’t commit a capital offence, so why would they take him to Kirikiri,” the source said.

Another official who also preferred not to be mentioned as he was not in the official capacity to speak to the press, said that although there were plans to move some inmates across the custodial centres in the state, it was still being proposed.

The NCoS official added that the move was for decongestion.

“Sometimes, when we discover that the population of inmates is much in a facility, we decide to move them just to decongest. We are only considering that at the moment and not that anyone has been moved. If the prison authorities want to move, they have the right. We also do so if the person has a communicable disease or because the inmate requested it for proximity to the family or an appeal on humanitarian grounds.

“The leadership might also say, ‘Let’s spread those who have less than one year sentence’, which may apply to Bobrisky, just to create space for those awaiting trial. But such people rarely go to the maximum prison,” the source disclosed.

Calls made to the spokesperson for the Lagos State Command of the NCS, Rotimi Oladokun, went unanswered. A text message sent to him had yet to be responded to as of the time this report was filed.

Gatekeeper reported that the crossdresser shares the same cell with male inmates and was examined at the point of admission while the outcome of the examination revealed that he had no realignment of gender or genital organs.

An official source who disclosed this to our correspondent added that the convicted crossdresser had been observing the rules and procedures obtained in the facility.

PUNCH