A shocking case of corruption and criminal conspiracy has been uncovered at the Warri Correctional Centre, where some prison officials allegedly aided inmates—including a death row convict—to temporarily leave custody and engage in armed robbery operations in Benin City, Edo State.
According to reliable sources, the robbery occurred on January 3, 2025, when a group of armed men attacked a young man, stole his valuables, and transferred a sum of ₦4 million to an online bank account during the operation. Despite the victim’s initial report to the Edo State Police Command, there was little progress in identifying the suspects.
A breakthrough came when investigators traced the bank account linked to the robbery to the Udu area in Delta State, leading to the arrest of the account holder. During questioning, the suspect—a young woman—revealed that she had opened the account at the request of her boyfriend, whom she had met online. She claimed he had told her his phone had fallen into a river and needed a new account to receive funds. The suspect further disclosed that she had been instructed to withdraw large sums of money and transfer them to multiple accounts, unaware that the funds were proceeds from the robbery.
Further police investigations led to the Warri Correctional Centre, where it was discovered that several inmates were directly involved in the crime. When law enforcement officers stormed the prison to apprehend the suspects, they were met with stiff resistance from correctional officials, who initially refused to produce them. However, the police were eventually able to take custody of one suspect—a death row inmate—who reportedly confessed to participating in the robbery.
Confirming the shocking revelations, Engr. Udoka Emmanuel Chika-Dibie, the Executive Assistant (Security) to the Delta State Governor, stated that some corrupt prison officials had been accused of collecting bribes to facilitate the illegal movement of inmates in and out of the facility for criminal activities.
“A young man was robbed in Benin on January 3rd, and ₦4 million was transferred from his account. The case was initially reported to the police, but progress was slow. However, after further investigations by security operatives, the funds were traced to an account in Udu, which led to the arrest of the account holder. Through advanced forensic analysis, we uncovered a shocking reality—the perpetrators were inmates from Warri Correctional Centre,” he said.
Engr. Chika-Dibie lamented the depth of corruption within the system, noting that these criminals—despite being incarcerated—were able to carry out armed robberies, return to their cells, and continue serving their sentences as though nothing had happened.
Following heightened pressure, prison authorities later handed over additional suspects to law enforcement officers. A top security source further disclosed that initially, only one of the four inmates involved in the robbery was released to the police, but after sustained scrutiny and public outcry, the remaining three were later surrendered for interrogation.
“We refused to be intimidated by prison officials. This morning, under mounting pressure, the correctional officers called the police to come and arrest the remaining three suspects. How do we explain a situation where convicts on death row leave prison to commit robberies and return undetected? If we fail to interrogate and reform this system, we have failed our generation,” the source stated.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, when contacted for a response, promised to look into the matter but had yet to provide an official statement at the time of filing this report.
The revelation has sparked widespread public outrage, with calls for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s correctional system to curb the rising trend of prison-based criminal networks. Security experts and concerned citizens are demanding an immediate overhaul of the prison administration, the prosecution of corrupt officials involved, and tighter security measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
As investigations continue, stakeholders are watching closely to see how authorities will handle this shocking breach of security, which raises serious concerns about the integrity of the country’s criminal justice system.
