The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board CDCFIB has approved the suspension of three officers and six other ranks of the Nigerian Correctional Service implicated in the alleged internet fraud, suspected to have been perpetrated by Hope Olusegun Aroke, an inmate serving a term of imprisonment in Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Lagos.
Spokesman of the Service, Controller Francis Enobore in a statement Wednesday in Abuja said the suspension was “based on the preliminary report of the investigation panel earlier constituted by the Controller General of the Service, Jaáfaru Ahmed which indicted the officers of complexity in the scandal”.
“The Controller General who handed down the suspension order noted that the task of correcting maladjusted persons in the society requires a measure of moral rectitude to make a positive impact on offenders in custody.
He, therefore, restates the irreversible commitment of the authority to ensure that those without adequate strength of character and integrity are not allowed to taint the sanctity of the Nigerian Correctional Service”, he added.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC had on Tuesday announced the arrest of Emmanuel Oluwaniyi and Hemeson Edwin for allegedly giving exaggerated medical reports that warranted a convicted internet fraudster, Mr Aroke, who is serving a 24-year jail term, being given a referral to be treated outside the facility.
Both men are Deputy Controllers (DC) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS). While Mr Oluwaniyi is the Controller, Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Mr Edwin is the head of the medical facility in the prison.
Despite being behind bars, Mr Aroke was attending parties outside the custodial centre and hosting guests at different hotels. He also operated bank accounts and was able to pull a scam to the tune of $1m, according to the EFCC.
