The rumour that prisoners in Nigerian Correctional facilities are being fed twice a day without breakfast resurfaced yesterday in the wake of the sentencing of controversial cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
Bobrisky was sentenced to six months imprisonment without any option of fine for abusing the Nigeria currency, naira.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in her sentence, said the judgment will serve as a deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.
Amid the rumours that inmates in Nigeria are not provided breakfast, it is worth mentioning that the Nigerian Correctional Service had revealed in January that inmates are being fed on a budget of N750 daily which includes their three square meal.
Hence, Bobrisky, alongside other inmates will no doubt be fed three times a day, contrary to the rumours.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Correctional Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Abubakar Umar, in January, submitted that the media rumour that inmates are fed twice with a budget of N200 was false, misleading, and mischievous in all its ramifications.
The statement partly read, “For the avoidance of doubt, the public may wish to note that feeding allowance for inmates in Nigeria is in the public domain, and vendors are paid the approved amount (N750) upon completion of supply.
“Contract for ration supply is usually made public, and the conditions clearly stated for interested vendors to apply in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007..”
Also, Vanguard’s publication revealed that the Federal Government spends N22.4 billion feeding inmates in correctional centres nationwide.
Before Bobrisky’s sentence, the counts against him read: “that you, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, on the 24th day of March 2024, at Imax Circle Mall, Jakande, Lekki, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social event tampered with the total sum of N400,000.00 (four hundred thousand naira) notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.” CONTINUE READING