The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, and Chairperson of the Investigative Panel on the Allegations of Corruption and Other Abuses in Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS), Dr. Magdalene Ajani, has given marching orders to all implicated to return to base and ensure the custodial facility is free the sale and use of all contraband items.

She gave the order during the ongoing second public hearing of the panel Abuja.

The Chairperson said that the panel has clearly established that there is a lot of underhand and corrupt dealings including abuse of office, witch-hunting and other sharp practices going on at the Okaka prison in Yenegoa that is contrary to the NCoS Act 2019 and other guidelines and standing order of the agency as well as the rules of the federal government.

She therefore ordered; “You must go back and put your house in order and get the place to function in line with extant rules. Your in-Charge today is not part of this case because he wasn’t there at the time of this incident but the rest of you are part of this and for your own good, it is advisable that you go back and work by the extant rules of service. You must all reset your brains and reset your attitudes.

“From what you have heard, there is a lot going on in your custodial centre that is contrary to the standing order, the guidelines, and the Act of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), 2019. Ay officer who is aiding and abetting these malpractices should be fished out and dealt with.”

She noted that a number of the complaints emanating from officers of the NCoS has also shown that the practice if drug sales and other contrabands is also being done in many other custodial centres across Nigeria.

Earlier, a petition brought read before the panel indicated that the sale and inflow of illicit drugs and substances as well as the use of contraband like drugs, illicit drugs, use of mobile phones by inmates, allowing inmates to operate Point of Sale, (POS), transactions within the prison yard and food racketeering among others are rife in Okaka and us being perpetrated by officers of the facility.

Implicated in the complaint was Bayelsa state controller of the NCoS, Reverend Hope Imoruwa Oparuwa, who was alleged to be conducting financial dealings with an inmate on death row, Ifeanyi Nwayimo.

The panel therefore told the Bayelsa State controller and the Okaka Custodial official to cascade the riot act to other custodial facilities in the state.