Nigeria: NCoS Removes Officers After Inmate’s TikTok Livestream from Ogun Custodial Centre
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has removed the Officer-in-Charge of the Ibara Medium Custodial Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, along with two other principal officers, pending investigations into the unauthorised use of a mobile phone by a death row inmate who went live on TikTok from custody, according to AllAfrica.
As Vanguard reported via AllAfrica, the inmate broadcast from inside the facility, drawing widespread attention on social media. The incident has prompted questions about how a smartphone entered the custodial centre and how the inmate was able to stream without immediate intervention by staff on duty.
Background on the NCoS
The Nigerian Correctional Service was established in 2019 under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, which replaced the former Nigerian Prison Service. The reform renamed and restructured the agency, separating its functions into the Custodial Centre for inmates serving defined sentences and the Custodial Home for those on remand or awaiting trial. The Ibara facility in Abeokuta operates within that framework as a medium-security centre holding convicted inmates, including those on death row.
Contraband phones in Nigerian custodial centres
The presence of contraband mobile phones inside custodial facilities has been a recurring concern across Nigeria. Past incidents, including inmate-led social media activity and allegations of coordinated operations from inside facilities, have repeatedly led to calls for tighter screening procedures and stronger internal discipline within the service. The NCoS has previously announced measures aimed at detecting and confiscating illegal devices, including the deployment of body scanners at some sites and trials of signal-jamming equipment.
The service has not indicated when the internal investigation will be concluded or what further disciplinary measures may follow. The three removed officers are to remain suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
