The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a convicted banker who was prematurely released from the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) in Maiduguri, Borno State, following allegations of forged court warrants within the state’s justice system.
The suspect was returned to custody on August 19, 2025.
The arrest lends credence to claims made by Charles Okah, a Nigerian serving a life sentence for his role in the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja and a previous bombing in Warri, Delta State.
“The EFCC has arrested a convicted banker who was prematurely released from Maiduguri Prison and returned him on August 19, a move that appears to vindicate Charles Okah’s earlier letter to the Minister of Interior,” an insider said on Sunday.
In a letter to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in March 2025, Okah alleged that senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) were operating a corruption network that enabled convicts to be illegally released from Maiduguri’s custodial centres.
Okah accused the officers of collaborating with corrupt members of the Borno State judiciary to forge and alter conviction warrants, allowing inmates to evade justice.
According to him, the illicit practice involved multiple departments within the custodial centres, including the Records Office, Intelligence Office, Gate Office, and senior officials, all of whom allegedly profited from the scheme.
He revealed that he uncovered the alleged racket while attempting to help a juvenile inmate pay a court fine.
An NCoS officer, M.K. Babagana, allegedly offered to secure the boy’s release for half the fine amount, exposing the operation.
Despite attempts to report the corruption to the new leadership in January 2025, Okah said that his concerns were ignored.
He also alleged that the authorities staged a “sham” disciplinary process, scapegoating a few inmates and staff to create the appearance of accountability while allowing the broader forgery network to continue unchecked.
Okah’s letter detailed cases where convicts received reduced sentences or were released entirely through forged warrants, including individuals convicted of sexual offences against minors.
He warned that such practices undermined the integrity of the Borno State judicial system and called for a thorough investigation.
The EFCC’s recent arrest of the prematurely released banker appears to validate Okah’s concerns, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities in Borno State’s custodial and judicial procedures.
Authorities have not disclosed whether further investigations into other alleged forged warrants or NCoS personnel involved are ongoing.
The letter read, "Certain officers of the NCoS are aiding and abetting the escape of convicted prisoners from the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Baga Road in Maiduguri, Borno State.
"Working with unscrupulous staff of the Borno State judiciary, conviction warrants of willing prison inmates are forged and replaced at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre's Records Office.
“Several prisoners have used this corrupt and illegal route to walk out of the custodial centre without serving the prison sentence handed to them by the Judiciary.
"In the Maximum Security Custodial Centre and the Minimum Security Custodial Centre, both in Maiduguri and under the Borno State Command (BSC) of the NCoS, this crime has been going on steadily and undetected for many years.
“The syndicated corruption begins at the office of the Officer in Charge and spreads to other departments, namely, the Court Office, the Records Office, the Intelligence Office, the Gate Office, the Chief Warder, and the Yard Master, who all get their share from the crime," he said.
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