Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has denied reports of a bomb explosion at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Maiduguri, describing the claims as “false and misleading.”
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement on Monday, NCoS Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller of Corrections Umar Abubakar, said:
“The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service has been drawn to an online report of a purported bomb explosion in Maiduguri Custodial Centre. This report is not true and is highly misleading, as the situation at the custodial centre remains calm and stable. Inmates are continuing their rehabilitation programmes without disruption. The fake report should be disregarded.”
The NCoS’s rebuttal comes after reports emerged of an alleged explosion at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Maiduguri on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
The reports claimed that the blast occurred in the solitary confinement cell of Charles Okah, a high-profile inmate serving a life sentence for his role in bombings in Abuja and Warri.
Okah had recently authored an open letter to Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi-Ojo, alleging systemic corruption within the Maiduguri custodial centres.
