Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government has suspended two officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over their alleged involvement in an attempt to illegally procure an international passport for an inmate.
The suspension was confirmed in an official statement released on Saturday by the Public Relations Officer of the NCoS and Deputy Controller of Corrections, Umar Abubakar. He described the act as a clear case of misconduct that violates the rules and procedures governing the service.
According to Abubakar, the misconduct was uncovered through the recently automated passport application system and other ongoing reforms introduced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The detection was made possible due to enhanced inter-agency collaboration under the Ministry of Interior.
“The incident, which happened about two weeks ago, is completely unacceptable and violates established procedures,” Abubakar stated.
He further revealed that disciplinary measures were promptly taken against the officers. “Necessary disciplinary actions were taken, including the suspension of the two correctional personnel implicated in the incident by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board chaired by the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo,” the statement read.
Reacting to the incident, the Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, reiterated the Service’s commitment to upholding discipline, transparency, and professionalism in all correctional facilities across Nigeria.
“The Service categorically states that any personnel found engaging in acts of misconduct, corruption, or sabotage will be shown the way out of the system,” Nwakuche warned.
The suspension serves as part of the broader reform drive aimed at cleaning up the country’s correctional system and ensuring accountability among security personnel.
The Ministry of Interior has been at the forefront of deploying technology and automation across its agencies to detect and prevent fraudulent activities, particularly in passport processing and other sensitive operations.
