Security was tightened at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, after correctional officers intercepted a woman allegedly attempting to take an illicit psychoactive substance into the facility for an inmate on death row.
The woman, identified as Mrs. Iyabo Sowunmi, was arrested at the main entrance of the custodial centre at about 1:33 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026, during routine screening of visitors entering the facility.
According to the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sowunmi had presented herself as a visitor to an inmate identified as Dare Sowunmi, who is on death row at the facility.
The Command said the substance was discovered during the standard search conducted by correctional officers at the entrance gate.
The officers reportedly found the suspected illicit substance concealed inside a one-kilogramme sachet of Milo beverage powder, a method allegedly intended to make the prohibited item appear to be an ordinary food product being taken to an inmate.
The substance was identified as “colos”, a psychoactive synthetic drug.
The discovery, according to the Command, underscored the importance of strict screening procedures at custodial facilities, particularly efforts to prevent drugs, weapons and other prohibited items from getting into prisons and correctional centres.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Odukoya Owolola Olayinka, said the interception demonstrated the vigilance of correctional personnel and the Service’s commitment to keeping illicit substances and other contraband away from inmates.
Following her arrest, Sowunmi was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The development has also drawn commendation from the Controller of Corrections, Ogun State Command, Abioye Kamoru Adesina, who praised the officers responsible for the discovery for their alertness and professionalism.
Adesina reiterated the Service’s zero-tolerance position on the trafficking of illegal drugs into custodial facilities, stressing that correctional centres are established primarily for the safe custody, reformation and rehabilitation of inmates.
He warned that the facilities would not be allowed to become channels for the distribution or consumption of illegal narcotics.
The Controller also cautioned members of the public against attempting to exploit visits to inmates as a means of introducing prohibited substances or other contraband into correctional centres.
He stressed that anyone caught attempting to compromise the security of the facilities would be handed over to the appropriate authorities and could face prosecution under the law.
The latest arrest highlights the continuing security challenge faced by correctional authorities in preventing contraband from reaching inmates through visitors and other channels.
For the Ogun Command, the interception of the suspected “colos” before it entered the custodial centre reinforces the importance of continuous vigilance at entry points, where every visitor and item brought into the facility is subject to security checks.
The suspect remains subject to investigation by the NDLEA, while the allegations against her will ultimately be determined through the appropriate legal process.
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