NCoS Takes Action After Death Row Inmate Broadcasts from Prison on TikTok
- The Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed a death row inmate at Ibara Custodial Centre in Abeokuta conducted a TikTok livestream using a smuggled phone
- Controller-General Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche condemned the breach and said the phone has been recovered and secured as evidence
- The Officer-in-Charge and two principal officers at the facility have been removed from their posts pending an investigation
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The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has confirmed it has recovered a mobile phone belonging to a death row inmate at Ibara Medium Custodial Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who used the prohibited device to conduct a live session on TikTok.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, August 6, 2026, and signed by Chief Superintendent of Corrections JN Osuji, the NCoS said the inmate has since been transferred to another facility where he is being held under tighter security measures.
Source: Facebook
The recovered phone has been secured as evidence.
Controller-General Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche condemned the incident and directed that the Officer-in-Charge of the Ibara facility, alongside two other principal officers, be removed from their posts while an investigation is carried out.
Background: How the Inmate Ran TikTok From His Cell
The inmate at the centre of the scandal is Elijah Oyebode, who was convicted in 2019 by Justice S. O. Falola of the Osun State High Court for the 2016 murder of Rofiat Adebisi, a final-year student of Osun State University who was abducted and killed for ritual purposes. He was sentenced to death by hanging.
Despite his sentence, as reported earlier by Legit.ng, Oyebode built an active presence on TikTok, maintaining at least two accounts, including one under the handle @ayola.oluwafu, which reached Level 20 gifting status on the platform.
During an April 16, 2026 livestream, he told viewers: "An individual may have two to three phones. Facebook and TikTok are full of prisoners." He also disclosed earning ₦85,000 from a single sports bet placed the previous month.
Oyebode also created a second account impersonating TikTok live host Omolola Awoyele, who later confirmed through a video call that he was broadcasting from inside the prison. Awoyele said she initially sought legal help on his behalf but withdrew after obtaining court records and receiving a confession from him directly. He then began sending her threats from within the facility.
NCoS Response
The NCoS's swift action follows weeks of public anger over how an inmate on death row could operate freely on social media.
The service's spokesperson had previously acknowledged that over 1,400 officers had faced disciplinary action over misconduct, noting that "where there are so many individuals, there will be one or two bad eggs."
Oyebode had also alleged during livestreams that correctional officers smuggled phones and drugs into the facility, and that wealthy inmates were occasionally escorted outside the prison by officers. The NCoS did not directly address those specific claims in its August 6 statement.
6 Kuje inmates bag degree award
Previously, Legit.ng reported that six inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, Abuja, have earned university degrees from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s correctional education and rehabilitation efforts.
The certificates were presented at a ceremony in Abuja, highlighting the growing impact of educational access within custodial facilities and reinforcing the principle that incarceration can be a pathway to reform and reintegration.
Source: Legit.ng
