The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has dismissed reports alleging that an inmate at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, was robbed of valuables worth more than N120 million during a routine search operation at the facility.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, the Service Public Relations Officer, CSC Jane Osuji, described the allegation as false, misleading, and inconsistent with the operational procedures guiding custodial centres across the country.
Osuji explained that the operation carried out at the Kuje custodial facility was a routine security search conducted in line with established standard operating procedures aimed at maintaining order, discipline, and security within the centre.
According to her, all prohibited items recovered during the exercise were properly processed and documented in accordance with the Service’s regulations.
The NCoS stated that inmates are not permitted to keep unauthorised items or large sums of money while in custody, noting that all personal belongings declared upon admission are officially documented and kept safely until the inmate is discharged or lawfully released.
The Service further disclosed that records available at the Kuje custodial centre did not show that the valuables mentioned in the media reports were ever declared by the inmate at the point of admission, nor were such items found or recorded during the search operation.
“There is no official record supporting the allegation that the said prohibited valuables were in the custody of the inmate(s) within the facility,” Osuji said.
The NCoS also maintained that the items allegedly stolen fall under prohibited contraband within custodial facilities, stressing that inmates are not allowed to possess such items while in detention.
It added that the unauthorised introduction or possession of prohibited items within any custodial facility amounts to a violation of custodial regulations.
The Service also noted that no formal or informal complaint regarding theft or missing valuables had been filed by the affected inmate, any other inmate, or any individual through the official complaint channels at the facility as of the time the reports emerged.
The NCoS reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, transparency, and adherence to established correctional procedures in all custodial centres nationwide.
NCOS Denies Reports of Missing N120m Valuables at Kuje Custodial Centre
