Ernest Omoarelojie
News filtered in early Monday, November 4, 2024, that Idris Okuneye, alias Bobrisky, finally succeeded in escaping from Nigeria, having been the image personifying the rotten side of the Nigerian psyche in the last few weeks. As one of the more established black dots on the country’s moral compass, he became a branded national embarrassment when he revealed, via a leaked telephone conversation, the sordid side of certain national institutions.
Among others, he claimed in the conversation that he bought his way out of serving his jail term in a prison cell. That way, he did his time in a push apartment not too far from the prison facility where he ought to live in a cell.
He also disclosed that he paid a handsome N15m to agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, who in turn, graceously edited the charges against him and whisked out the more criminal money laundering allegation.
Not done, he disclosed that in his quest to exorcize his name from any connection to time in prison, he approached a godfather who assured that for N10m, the task was akin to sugar and honey.
Since then, Bobrisky became a subject of interest to many, particularly security agents. Necessarily, those who felt a connection to being the suspected godfather, concerned enough to issue threats of law suits, also became interested in him.
The Federal Government felt embarrassed enough to set in motion a committee to unravel the allegations, in particular the extent of the involvement of men and officers of the Nigerian Correctional Services. Not willing to be outdone, the house of Representatives also instituted a committee to look into the matter, with a view to perhaps, correcting the wrongs where there are wrongs.
The committees invited both the VeryDarkMan who leaked the telephone conversation and Bobrisky, the man at the centre of it all. However, while the former made an appearance, the latter never did after initially excusing himself with an illness claim.
All said and done, the federal government committee gave Bobrisky a clean bill of health, having concluded that he spent his time in prison as required. Interestingly, the usually combative House of Representatives kept mute when refused to show up when summoned. It’s silence has remained deafeningly loud.
Surprisingly, despite the fact that the odds are in his favour, Bobrisky has not been at peace with himself. That explains why he has been trying desperately to flee the country.
At one point, vigilant immigration agents nabbed him midnight while attempting to bolt through the Seme border post. Promptly, he was arrested as a subject of interest, taken into custody, questioned and let loose after a few days. A few days later, he was caught again trying to flee. This time, agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had to remove him from aboard a scheduled international flight. Again, he was taken into custody, questioned and released after a few days.
If nothing else, something to suggest that there is something fishy about Bobrisky’s attempts to flee the country. Something is wrong somewhere-something that could be connected to those he named. There is the possibility that they are not happy with him. It is possible that some of them may feel worried enough to conclude that his continuous presence could unfold more embarrassment. Of course, there are those who could possibly be dragged into the fray if the matter is allowed to keep festering.
The bottom line is that Bobrisky needs to be physically present for the truth to be unveiled. Clearly, there is an important need for him to appears before relevant institutions, alongside those whose names he mentioned, to answer relevant questions. With him out of the way, it is case close. As it is, Nigerians can only conclude that there is more to the case than meet the eye. Whatever it is, Bobrisky remains the closest metaphor for the Nigerian rot.
… Omoarelojie, a journalist based in Abuja
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