Until a ministerial panel set up by the Minister of Interior Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, recently, to carry out a “comprehensive investigation into allegation of criminal activities within the Okere Correctional Centre, Warri, Delta State,” wrap up its job and make its findings public truth around a trending allegation that four inmates of the centre were in Benin-City, Edo State capital on January 3 for a robbery operation and returned to the facility after the alleged criminal act, the claims may remain in the realms of speculations.
But will the Minister share findings of the committee with Nigerians or it may end up as another confidential report in his office?
An allegation that went viral on social media had it that four inmates of the correctional centre robbed an unidentified man of his phone in Benin-City on January 3 and four million naira allegedly transferred from his mobile account to a microfinance bank.
The receiver’s account number was allegedly traced to a community in Udu community, Delta State by the police.
According to a report, when the owner of the account that received the four million naira, a lady, was allegedly quizzed by the police, she admitted that it was sent to her by a friend she met online.
The person was later, according to the report, allegedly tracked to the Warri correctional centre.
The unidentified lady in the story was quoted as saying: “I met him online and we started talking and one thing led to another, he started professing love and I accepted.
“He told me he works offshore and have so many staff under him.
“He called me early January and told me that his phone fell into the river but expecting to receive some
money and asked me to help him open an account (name of microfinance bank withheld) which I obliged.
“Later, he sent a lady to pick the ATM of the very account from me.
“On the 4th of January, I got alert of N4 million and told him. Later that day, he sent account numbers to me with instruction to pay some 600k, some N1.5 million some N1 million etc.”
The social media report alleged that policemen from the Ekpan Police Station in Delta State ran search on the account and it showed that the phone that transferred the money was in the Warri correctional centre.
The social media report further alleged that policemen stormed the centre and were able to arrest a death row inmate.
“They could not whisk the other three along with them because authorities at the correctional centre refused, insisting that the police should get a court backing to effect their arrest”, the report stated.
Reacting to the allegation when Sunday Vanguard sought his comment before the ministerial committee was set up to investigate the issue, spokesman for the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service, NCS, Superintendent of Corrections, Mr Allen Ilobah, dismissed the social media report as unfounded , adding that no arrest was made by the police at the correctional facility.
He said a team of policemen investigating the social media allegation only visited the centre (Okere prisons) last Tuesday for findings, saying no inmate was arrested.
Ilobah, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on phone from his Asaba office, said the Comptroller of Nigeria Correctional Services had ordered thorough investigation into the allegation on the Facebook wall, adding that at the time of our conversation on phone nothing had shown that there was any element of truth in the allegation.
He enjoined journalists and the public to rely on credible sources for information at all times, particularly those relating to security issues.
He said: “I gathered this morning (Tuesday) that a team of policemen were at the Warri correctional centre on investigation.
“It ended just like that. The matter is still being investigated. There is nothing that has been authenticated. The platform you heard or saw the stuff from is baseless; it’s not a credible source.
“Some persons have been lifting the information from the source. The originator of the news is not a credible source, a reliable source.
“A call has even been made to the Ekpan Divisional Police Officer, DPO, on the issue to find out the authenticity.
“The matter is being investigated. My Comptroller is conducting his internal investigation on the matter.
“The information is completely baseless. That information is not supposed to go out without getting to the correctional centre.
“The police never made any arrest at the correctional centre, no arrest was made from the institution.
“The report is baseless. The matter is still being investigated”.
Spokesman for the Delta State Police command , SP Bright Edafe initially kept mute on the issue despite persistent request from journalists to his phone for comment.
However, he recently responded to an enquiry from our Correspondent in Asaba, Mr Ochuko Akuophia admitting that the police went to the facility on investigation. He also said it was not true that any arrest had been made by the police at the centre.
According to him, the police was keeping a sealed lip on its findings, urging bloggers, content creators to be mindful of how they interfere with police duties.
His words : “We went there for investigation and details of the investigation cannot be made public.
“The Command however, advise bloggers and content creators to be mindful of how they meddle with police affairs in the State. They should stop feeding the public with lies and unverified facts.”
“Though we went there on investigation, no prisoner was arrested,”
Vanguard gathered that the ministerial team concluded its investigation on Thursday and headed back to Abuja on Friday. It is expected that it will make its findings public after briefing the Minister of Interior Hon Tunji-Ojo or the Minister may take up the task himself.
Will the findings of the Ministerial committee be an issue that may be swept under the carpet or the Minister will be bold enough to disclose ? Time will tell.
