The Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Security, Engr. Udoka Emmanuel Chika-dibie, has accused officials at Okere Correctional Facility in Warri South Local Government Area of aiding criminals by allowing inmates to leave prison, commit crimes, and return undetected.
In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, Chika-dibie refuted claims that criminals had been transferred to Northern prisons, clarifying that only inmates suspected of leaking information to the public were relocated. He insisted that the same criminals remained in Warri prison, posing a serious threat to public safety.
“The same criminals remain in Warri prison. We have their names and demand an explanation as to why they are still detained there, where they can leave at will to commit robberies and return,” he stated.
Chika-dibie warned that the situation jeopardizes the safety of police officers who arrested the criminals, as well as complainants, prosecutors, and judges involved in their cases. He urged prison officials to immediately stop aiding criminals and take decisive action to address the issue.
SaharaReporters previously reported that at least 150 inmates were transferred from Okere Correctional Facility to various prisons in northern Nigeria following allegations that prisoners were leaving the facility to commit crimes.
Investigations have exposed widespread fraud, blackmail, and corruption within the prison. Reports revealed that inmates had access to mobile phones, bank accounts, and private meeting spaces for illegal activities.
One woman unknowingly became romantically involved with an inmate, Perez Ekiyor, after meeting him on Facebook in 2019. She later discovered large sums of money being deposited into a bank account she had opened for him. When she attempted to end the relationship, he retaliated by leaking their private conversations and explicit photos online.
Another woman nearly fell victim to a similar scam in 2023 when an inmate, pretending to be a worker in Ibadan, emotionally manipulated her before attempting to extort ₦200,000. A prison officer later warned her that the man had been incarcerated since 2020 and was part of a known fraud ring.
Further investigations linked Okere inmates to a January 3, 2025, robbery, in which criminals stole valuables and transferred N4 million from a victim’s account. When police traced the crime back to the prison, officials resisted their efforts, but a death row inmate was eventually arrested and confessed to orchestrating the scheme.
A source confirmed that at least 150 inmates had been transferred from Okere to northern prisons. One relative of a transferred inmate revealed that their family member was moved to Kano Prison and had called to report the harsh conditions they were facing.
“He said since they were moved, they have been scattered across different locations and have only been eating Garri because they are unfamiliar with the local food,” the source said.
A prison official confirmed the transfers but described them as routine, stating that the Nigeria Correctional Service regularly moves inmates to address prison congestion.
Umar Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, confirmed the transfers to SaharaReporters, adding, “When we determine that a particular custodial center is overcrowded, the Controller General has the authority to transfer inmates from one facility to another, as long as they are convicts.”
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