The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has confirmed the dismissal of Assistant Superintendent of Corrections Efe Onakpoya for alleged whistleblowing.
Mr Onakpoya was an officer attached to the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Afikpo, Ebonyi State.
Sahara Reporters exclusively reported that Mr Onakpoya was dismissed for exposing a colleague, Ogbule Obinna, who took an inmate out of the Ebonyi facility illegally to see his girlfriend for a conjugal visit.”
The newspaper reported that Mr Obinna, who illegally took an inmate out of custody, was pardoned, while the whistleblower, Mr Onakpoya, was dismissed.
In its response to the story, in a statement issued on Saturday, the NCoS spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, confirmed the dismissal of Mr Onakpoya but claimed that the officer was dismissed for making “false allegations against the Service,” essentially claiming that Mr Onakpoya’s claim was investigated but found to be untrue.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Mr Umar said Mr Onakpoya was particularly found guilty of taking unauthorised photographs of an inmate, Ibuchi Eze, at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, and uploading them online.
The spokesperson added that Mr Onakpoya also made false allegations against the Service, including the claim that an inmate was taken out for a conjugal visit.
The NCoS added that the officer was found “guilty of acts unbecoming of a public officer.”
The agency, however, did not comment on Mr Obinna, the...
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