Efe Onakpoya was dismissed for revealing that a rape convict was taken out of prison for a conjugal visit….While the officer who exposed the act was sacked, the culprit was merely reposted and warned.
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board has dismissed an Assistant Superintendent of Corrections, Efe Onakpoya, for allegedly whistleblowing on the illegal outing of a convicted inmate from the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, Ebonyi State.
According to a document dated July 21, 2025, Onakpoya was accused of “making a malicious allegation that the inmate was taken out for conjugal intimacy with lover” and subsequently dismissed. However, the same document confirmed that the inmate, Ibuchi Okoro Eze, who is serving time for rape, was indeed taken out of custody by another officer, Ogbule Samuel Obinna, to meet his girlfriend.
Rather than face equal disciplinary action, Obinna received a written warning, lost one year of seniority, and was reposted “at no cost to the service.”
The document reads: “Negligence of duty by unprofessional conduct of permitting an unqualified inmate-convicted male, Ibuchi Okoro Eze, out of MSCC Afikpo to the barracks and staff club, which led to the purported conjugal relation with his lover on 14th September 2024.”
SaharaReporters had previously published images and accounts showing Ibuchi at a local bar managed by his girlfriend. Sources claimed officers were bribed and pressured by superiors to allow the outing.
“This wasn’t the first time,” a prison insider revealed. “Some inmates even go to clubs overnight. Locals with ties to the facility keep these secrets.”
The dismissal of Onakpoya has sparked criticism from rights advocates who see it as a troubling message against accountability in the correctional system.
Despite confirming the wrongdoing, the Board’s action raises serious concerns about internal cover-ups and retaliation against whistleblowers.
The Nigeria Correctional Service has yet to issue an official response.
READ MORE AT SAHARA REPORTERS.