Ogun NCoS Arrests Woman For Allegedly Smuggling Drugs To Death-Row Son
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
Operatives of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Ogun State Command have arrested a woman for allegedly attempting to smuggle a substance suspected to be the psychoactive drug known as “Colos” into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta, for her son, Dare Sowunmi, who is on death row.
The spokesperson for the Command, Olayinka Odukoya, who made this known on Monday, said the woman, Mrs Iyabo Sowunmi, was arrested at about 1:33pm on Friday, August 28, 2026, during routine screening at the facility’s entrance, adding that the substance was allegedly concealed in a sachet of a popular beverage powder before it was detected by correctional officers.
TheFact Daily notes that the smuggling of drugs and other contraband into custodial facilities remains a major security challenge, as such items can undermine discipline, endanger inmates and custodial personnel, and facilitate criminal activities from within prisons. Correctional authorities therefore subject visitors and packages entering custodial centres to screening and other security checks.
Odukoya said the suspect was immediately detained and subsequently handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for investigation and prosecution in line with inter-agency protocols. The Controller of Corrections, Ogun State Command, Abioye Adesina, commended the officers for their vigilance, stressing that the Service maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking and other attempts to compromise custodial security.
Adesina warned that anyone attempting to introduce contraband into correctional facilities would face legal action, while the command urged members of the public to respect the integrity of custodial institutions and refrain from acts capable of undermining security.
