A high-powered independent investigative panel has launched a probe into allegations of corruption and rights violations involving senior officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
Dr. Uju Agomoh, who chaired the panel’s session in Abuja on Tuesday, confirmed that the investigation covers multiple cases implicating top correctional officers accused of misconduct in custodial centers across the country.
According to Agomoh, the panel has been tasked with conducting a thorough inquiry, uncovering systemic failures, and recommending urgent reforms to enhance transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s correctional system.
“Recent reports highlight disturbing instances of corruption, torture, cruelty, and inhumane treatment by correctional officers,” she stated. “These include abuse of authority and mistreatment of inmates, violating established protocols and undermining human dignity.”
The panel’s mandate includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term recommendations to overhaul correctional administration in the country.
This investigation comes in the wake of mounting controversies, including the high-profile case of social media personality Idris Okunneya, popularly known as Bobrisky, whose incarceration raised questions about preferential treatment in the prison system.
Among those under scrutiny is the officer in charge of Kuje Custodial Centre, Iloafonsi Ikechukwu, accused of intimidating, threatening, and extorting an inmate.
The panel was constituted by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as part of a broader crackdown on corruption within the correctional service.
