Last month, a text message landed on Odion Akagbosu’s phone late at night. It was short, cold and terrifying. “Someone wants you dead. He sent us to kill you, but I don’t want to kill an innocent soul. Comply with me or I will not show mercy.”

For days, the Benin City resident barely slept. Every knock on his gate startled him. Every unfamiliar motorcycle passing his street sent fear racing through his mind. He began avoiding late-night movements, constantly looking over his shoulder. Then came the twist that stunned Police investigators. The threatening number was traced not to a criminal hideout or kidnappers’ camp in the forest, but to an inmate inside Oko Correctional Centre.

That discovery has now opened a disturbing window into a growing reality security agencies are struggling to contain: The rise of prison-based crime syndicates operating from inside Nigeria’s custodial centres.

From Kirikiri Prison in Lagos, to Kuje Prison in Abuja, and Warri Custodial Centre in Delta State, findings reveal a troubling pattern where inmates are allegedly coordinating internet fraud, extortion, fake bank alert scams, robbery and even kidnapping operations while still officially in custody.

The scale of the crisis became clearer on May 4, 2026, when the Federal Government announced sanctions against 147 officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, over contraband-related offences. Prison authorities also ordered the destruction of 1,167 confiscated mobile phones recovered from prisons nationwide.

The recovered items included smartphones, SIM cards, chargers and cash — tools investigators say inmates use to sustain criminal enterprises from behind bars. Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, admitted the contraband had become channels for organised crime within correctional facilities.

For some Nigerians, the disclosure merely confirmed what several scandals over the years had already exposed: Some prisons are no longer just detention facilities; they are evolving into operational bases for sophisticated criminal networks.

Akagbosu’s case was not isolated. According to police sources, similar threatening messages have surfaced repeatedly in recent months, with many eventually traced to inmates operating from correctional facilities.

A police source disclosed to Vanguard that the scheme is often carefully choreographed. The inmate obtains phone numbers through criminal contacts outside prison, then sends frightening messages designed to psychologically destabilise victims. Once panic sets in, a second message usually follows demanding money in exchange for safety. Many victims, terrified by the threats, quietly pay without reporting to the authorities.

In Akagbosu’s case, police detectives moved swiftly after he lodged a complaint. Digital tracking eventually led investigators to Oko prison, forcing security agencies to alert prison authorities. For weeks before the discovery, the victim had lived under the terrifying belief that armed killers were monitoring his movements outside. Instead, the alleged mastermind was operating from inside a prison cell.

The Warri prison controversy

Few prison scandals triggered as much outrage as the allegations surrounding Warri Medium Security Custodial Centre last year. The claims sounded unbelievable at first. According to reports, four inmates allegedly left the custodial facility temporarily, travelled to Benin City where they reportedly participated in robbery and kidnapping operations, and later returned to prison unnoticed.

The scandal reportedly began after victims of a robbery attack traced about N4 million transferred during the operation to suspects linked to the Udu area of Delta State. As investigators followed the money trail, attention allegedly shifted toward individuals connected to the Warri custodial centre.

What shocked many were not merely the robbery allegations but claims that the suspects were not escapees. They were allegedly still officially serving prison terms while carrying out operations outside custody. The controversy created tension between police operatives attached to Ekpan Division and officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Although the Delta State Command of the NCoS denied the allegations and dismissed them as fabricated, public outrage intensified because the claims appeared to confirm long-standing suspicions about covert inmate movements and insider compromise within prisons.

The uproar eventually forced Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to order a full-scale investigation. Months later, the outcome of the probe is still being awaited.

The Kirikiri fraud empire

One of the most embarrassing prison-linked scandals exploded in 2020 when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, uncovered how convicted internet fraudster, Hope Aroke, allegedly continued running cybercrime operations while serving a 24-year sentence at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison.

Investigators said Aroke’s prison cell had effectively become a remote fraud office. Despite incarceration, he allegedly retained unrestricted access to mobile phones and internet services, coordinating a fresh $1 million scam through outside accomplices. What shocked investigators was how far his privileges allegedly extended.

Under the guise of medical treatment, Aroke was reportedly transferred to the Nigeria Police Hospital in Falomo, Lagos. From there, EFCC investigators discovered he allegedly slipped out of supervision repeatedly, visiting hotels, attending social functions and meeting associates and family members.

EFCC officials later uncovered bank accounts allegedly opened with fake identities and linked to luxury asset acquisitions, all while he remained a convicted inmate. The revelations triggered national outrage. The scandal eventually led to the arrest and suspension of several senior prison officials, including the Controller of Kirikiri Prison and officers attached to the prison’s medical unit.

For anti-corruption investigators, the case exposed the frightening depth of insider compromise within Nigeria’s correctional system.

Kuje prison’s fake alert syndicate

Within this same period, another scandal emerged from Kuje Prison in Abuja. This time, investigators uncovered what appeared to be a sophisticated fake bank alert syndicate allegedly coordinated by inmate, Chief Ifeanyi Ezenwa.

Despite already serving a prison sentence, Ezenwa allegedly orchestrated the fraudulent purchase of a Toyota Hilux vehicle, using fake payment alerts generated from inside prison custody.

The scheme followed a familiar pattern. Once fake electronic payment confirmations were sent, unsuspecting sellers released goods before discovering the payments never reflected in their accounts. Investigators later linked the syndicate to additional fraudulent purchases involving medical equipment, including wheelchairs and blood pressure monitors.

As complaints mounted, intelligence operatives traced communications back to Kuje Prison. The development shocked investigators because the alleged fraud network appeared highly organised, involving outside collaborators who executed deliveries while instructions allegedly came directly from prison. The scandal became serious enough for the then Inspector-General of Police to direct the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, to dismantle the syndicate.

The convict who duped bank manager from prison

In another bizarre case, inmate Ikechukwu Ogbu successfully convinced a bank manager to part with N12.3 million, all while serving a prison sentence inside Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

According to court documents, Ogbu emotionally manipulated the victim, Patrick Edetchukwu, by claiming he was being unlawfully detained by the EFCC over a fictitious $2.5 million transaction. The inmate presented himself as a victim of injustice desperately needing financial assistance to secure freedom.

Gradually, the deception deepened. Phone conversations continued, trust grew and money changed hands. By the time the victim realized, he had been conned and millions had already vanished.

But the most explosive revelation emerged the during trial. Justice Lateefa Okunnu heard evidence that prison officials allegedly allowed the inmate to wear mufti instead of prison uniforms and facilitated the opening of bank accounts connected to the fraud. The judge openly blamed prison authorities for creating the environment that enabled the scam to flourish. Ogbu was eventually sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.

The prison deal that rocked Kirikiri

Perhaps one of the earliest indications that prison walls were no barrier to sophisticated financial crimes emerged from Kirikiri Prison between 2004 and 2005. At the time, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, and Lagos socialite Fred Ajudua were both incarcerated over separate criminal matters.

Years later, the EFCC alleged that while both men were in custody, Ajudua orchestrated an elaborate deception that allegedly cost Bamaiyi more than $6 million. Investigators said Ajudua and his associates convinced the former Army Chief they possessed powerful political and legal connections capable of securing his release from prison.

Hope reportedly grew with each promise. Millions of dollars allegedly changed hands from inside prison walls under the guise of legal fees, negotiations and influence-peddling arrangements. The transactions continued for months. By the time suspicions emerged, investigators alleged huge sums had already disappeared. The scandal stunned many Nigerians because it suggested that even maximum-security prison walls could not stop large-scale fraudulent financial transactions and influence operations.

How prison crimes survive

Findings revealed that prison-linked crimes thrive through a dangerous combination of corruption, weak infrastructure and unrestricted access to communication devices, while smuggled mobile phones remain central to most operations.

With smartphones, inmates allegedly negotiate ransom payments, coordinate internet fraud, direct robbery operations and maintain constant communication with criminal networks outside prison walls. The destruction of over 1,100 confiscated phones last month highlighted the scale of the problem.

Findings also revealed that nearly every major prison scandal involved allegations of insider collaboration. From suspicious hospital referrals to unauthorised inmate privileges, compromised officials allegedly provide the access that makes such operations possible. Vanguard also found that external collaborators, including relatives, visitors, contractors and criminal associates, often execute instructions outside while inmates allegedly direct operations remotely.

Many custodial centres still rely on outdated surveillance systems, weak or compromised perimeter security and manual monitoring processes, creating opportunities for contraband smuggling and covert communication.

A source within the prison told Vanguard that a good number of prison officers have been relieved of their jobs in the last decade for corruption and aiding inmates’ nefarious activities.

Government crackdown

Amid mounting public concern, NCoS appears to be making serious efforts to tackle the challenges of prison criminal networks and tighten security across correctional facilities nationwide. The prison authorities recently established special anti-contraband teams focused on intelligence gathering and targeted enforcement operations.

Speaking about the development, Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, warned that both inmates and external collaborators involved in contraband smuggling would face prosecution. He noted that the prison service was aware of the growing trend of crime perpetrated from within the prison walls and is doing everything possible to tackle the challenge.

Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has also vowed severe sanctions for correctional officers aiding criminal activities. He disclosed that plans are ongoing to deploy tighter surveillance technology, biometric monitoring systems and improved intelligence coordination across custodial centres.

Security experts proffer solutions

A security expert, Dr. Mike Onu told Vanguard that the growing wave of prison-linked crimes reflects deep institutional weaknesses within the nation’s correctional system and requires urgent structural reforms beyond routine disciplinary measures.

According to him, the continued recovery of mobile phones and the repeated revelations of organised criminal operations from custodial centres show that some prisons have become compromised operational hubs for criminal syndicates.

“What we are witnessing is not ordinary prison indiscipline but organised criminal infiltration of correctional facilities. Once inmates gain unrestricted access to communication devices and external collaborators, prisons cease to function as correctional centres and become command-and-control bases for crime. The first step is to establish a technology-driven prison security architecture. Every custodial centre should have effective signal jamming systems, biometric access control, body scanners and AI-supported surveillance technology capable of monitoring unusual inmate movement and staff activities. But technology alone will not solve the problem. There must be aggressive internal cleansing within the correctional service. Any officer found aiding inmates should face criminal prosecution, not mere administrative sanctions. The level of insider compromise being exposed is alarming," Onu said.

He also called for stricter monitoring of prison hospital referrals, visitors and contractors, warning that many criminal operations survive through external collaborators working with compromised officials.

Similarly, another security expert, Bayo Abdulahi said intelligence failure and corruption remain the biggest drivers of prison-based criminal activities in Nigeria.

Abdulahi said correctional facilities must immediately be integrated into the country’s broader national security intelligence framework.

According to him “prisons can no longer be treated as isolated institutions. They are now part of the national security threat environment. There must be real-time intelligence sharing between the DSS, police, EFCC and correctional authorities,” he said.

He further advocated routine covert surveillance of prison personnel, lifestyle audits for officers and stricter prosecution of both inmates and officials linked to organised prison crimes.

“If severe consequences are not imposed on compromised officers, the system will continue recycling corruption and criminality,” he warned. (Vanguard)

Update news