The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Delta State Command, has dismissed allegations that its officers are releasing inmates for “Omila operations,” a term suggesting involvement in robbery operations in the state.
The rebuttal is coming following rumors that wardens at Okere Prison in Warri were facilitating the release of prisoners, allowing them to participate in criminal operations before returning them to the facility.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Asaba, the Command’s spokesman, SC Allen Iloba, denied the claims, describing them as false and malicious.
The statement reads, “The attention of The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Delta State Command has been drawn to a purported online report with the above caption by an unreliable source “Warri Aproko II”, alleging that officers of the NCoS released inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centres Warri to go for “Omila operation” (suggestive of Robbery Operation) and thereafter return them to the facility.
“The Command wishes to emphatically submit that this report making rounds on social media is false, unpatriotic and a vile figment of the imagination of the writer in its entirety, as it is fabricated to truncate the existing peace in Warri and maliciously drag the name of this reputable institution (NCoS) in the mud.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no inmate on Death Row under any guise is allowed to get close to the gate lodge, talk much of going out for robbery operation.
“Apparently, the writer is utterly ignorant of the modus operandi of the NCoS. Hence, the malicious report was intended to mislead the general public. Warri Aproko has no office/email address or phone number(s), only a faceless Facebook account where unconfirmed stories are posted.”
The command also called on media outlets to ensure proper verification of information before publication.
However, it reaffirmed its commitment to justice, stressing that NCoS officers are dedicated to the reform, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates upon the completion of their sentences.