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The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has warned that anyone involved in smuggling contraband into custodial centres will face severe consequences, describing such acts as deliberate threats to national security.
Controller-General Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche issued the warning on Wednesday during the destruction of 1,167 confiscated mobile phones and other prohibited items recovered from prisons across the country over the past eight months.
“Let me be unequivocal: anyone involved in smuggling contraband into our custodial centres, whether as a visitor, contractor, or collaborator, will face severe consequences,” Nwakuche said.
“These are not minor infractions but deliberate acts that undermine national security and the administration of justice,”
The Controller-General warned that contraband trafficking cannot occur without internal compromise.
“Any officer who aids, ignores, or facilitates the smuggling of prohibited items is in direct violation of their oath and a threat to the integrity of this Service. Anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law,” he said.
He disclosed that 147 personnel have already been sanctioned for various acts of misconduct related to the trafficking of contraband.
A total of 1,167 mobile phones, including Android devices, iPhones, and button phones, were destroyed, alongside other prohibited items. The sum of 2,569,000 naira recovered as smuggled cash from inmates has been remitted to the government treasury.
Nwakuche revealed that several offenders have been apprehended and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for prosecution.
The service has also established a dedicated Special Crack Team to intensify intelligence gathering, surveillance, and targeted operations nationwide.
NCoS DESTROYS 1,167 SEIZED PHONES, INTENSIFIES CRACKDOWN ON CONTRABAND NATIONWIDE. For more details please click on the link below:https://t.co/fMkGAaAOhI pic.twitter.com/N7gVmbX58I
— Nigerian Correctional Service (@CorrectionsNg) May 6, 2026
