Okah alleged that senior NCoS officers at the Baga Road Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Maiduguri, in collusion with corrupt members of the Borno State judiciary, had been forging and altering conviction warrants to release inmates unlawfully.
A correctional officer stationed at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) in Maiduguri has confirmed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raid on the facility, previously denied by the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), did in fact take place, as exclusively reported by SaharaReporters on September 23, 2025.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, also corroborated the contents of Charles Tombra Okah’s open letter to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, published by SaharaReporters on March 14, 2025, describing it as the “bitter truth.”
Okah is currently serving a life sentence at the Maiduguri prison for his role in the October 1, 2010, Independence Day twin bombings in Abuja.
In his letter, Okah alleged that senior NCoS officers at the Baga Road Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Maiduguri, in collusion with corrupt members of the Borno State judiciary, had been forging and altering conviction warrants to release inmates unlawfully.
He alleged that the scheme had allowed numerous prisoners to evade justice, securing early release without serving their full sentences.
According to Okah, this fraudulent practice has persisted for years in both the Maximum and Minimum Security Custodial Centres in Maiduguri, operating under the Borno State Command of the NCoS.
He alleged how the illicit network operates, implicating key offices such as the records office, the intelligence office, the gate office, and senior prison officials, all of whom allegedly profit from the scheme.
Okah said he uncovered the racket by accident when attempting to assist a juvenile inmate in paying a court fine.
Instead, an NCoS officer, M.K. Babagana, offered to secure the boy’s release for half the fine amount.
Okah said he later tried to report the corruption to high-ranking prison officials following a leadership change in January 2025, but his concerns were ignored.
He alleged that in a bid to create the illusion of accountability, officials presented an isolated case to the judiciary, sacrificing three scapegoats, including an inmate who had paid for a reduced sentence.
Okah stated that the forged warrant was handed over to the judge reluctantly by the NCoS, who had no other choice as the threat of imminent exposure loomed.
According to the correctional officer, it was his conscience and compassion for Okah, who has spent over 195 days in solitary confinement, that compelled him to speak out.
“The reasons given by our PRO (Public Relations Officer) for which he said Charles Okah wrote the letter to the minister (Tunji-Ojo) are embarrassing,” the officer said.
“To say that Okah made those weighty allegations just because he wanted a ‘transfer’ is hard for anyone to believe, but it clearly shows the grasping of straws by a drowning man who has no answer.”
The officer urged the Controller General of the NCoS to take responsibility for the scandal, publicly apologise to Nigerians, acknowledge the efforts of whistleblowers, and punish officials who have brought the service into disrepute.
The officer further called on the Controller General to consider resigning to restore public confidence.
Re-Arrest of Banker and Forged Warrants
The correctional officer also detailed the case of a banker who had previously escaped prison custody using a forged warrant, allegedly issued by Borno State High Court 12 and bearing the forged signature of presiding judge, Justice Aisha Komaliya.
According to the officer, the banker’s presence in town was reported to the EFCC by a complainant, prompting the commission to launch an investigation.
After reviewing video evidence showing the banker free in public, the EFCC re-arrested him and returned him to MaSCC.
According to the source, Justice Komaliya, whose court was cited as the source of the forged warrant used to release the banker, showed leniency despite the gravity of the forgery.
“The banker who was brought before her by the EFCC in the company of MaSCC officials confessed and named his accomplices, which included her registrar,” the source said.
“The judge then reissued a fresh warrant, backdated to the actual date of his sentence, and retrieved the fake warrant, which was taken away by the EFCC team as evidence.”
The officer revealed that following SaharaReporters’ coverage on September 23, the newly appointed Controller of the Borno State Command, Ibrahim Yau, reportedly spent the day at MaSCC attempting to cover up the scandal.
Prison authorities reportedly coerced the banker and other staff to participate in staged video statements denying prior wrongdoing.
“A day after the Sahara Reporters story on Tuesday, September 23, the new Controller of the Borno State Command, Ibrahim Yau, spent his entire working hours in the MaSCC doing damage control and contriving dubious ways of covering their mess under a heap of lies,” the officer said.
“Like film directors in a grade B movie set, the banker was summoned and thrust with the emergency role of an actor with a script full of lies and assuring him that the EFCC team and even Justice Aisha Komaliya will keep sealed lips.”
According to the officer, the “banker cooperated, of course, knowing he was trapped in a bush surrounded by hyenas”.
“He lied that he had never left MaSCC. The video may have been forwarded to the Minister of the Interior. The staff from the clinic were also called upon to play a similar role in denying the use of part of the UNODC/FG Germany-donated building, which was rented to inmates,” the source said.
The officer called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, ordering the immediate release of Charles Okah from solitary confinement and establishing an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the forgery of warrants.
Highlighting further neglect, the officer stated that the MaSCC officer-in-charge, A. A. Bala, informed Okah that he had not been taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for an MRI scan because the machine was “broken down.”
The officer later discovered that the machine was functional, confirming that Okah was deliberately denied medical care while in solitary confinement, leading to muscle atrophy.
Additionally, a committee from Abuja that visited MaSCC in July 2025 was reportedly prevented from meeting Okah, being misled that he had been transferred.
Follow the Sahara Reporters channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaFClvtH5JM6SSsP7M2Y
