The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Bayelsa State has rejected as false and misleading the reports circulating on social media that claim 15 domestic staff of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, have been illegally detained at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Okaka.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASC I G.T. Isari, the NCoS firmly denied the allegations that the individuals had been held without trial since 2019 for alleged theft, and that a secret meeting had occurred between Dame Patience Jonathan and senior correctional officials in Bayelsa.
“These claims are unfounded and designed to damage the reputation of the Nigerian Correctional Service,” the statement said.
The NCoS clarified that the individuals were lawfully remanded by High Court 1 of Bayelsa State and have been attending their trial as scheduled.
They were present in court on March 10 and 11, 2025, and again on April 3, 2025, with the next hearing set for April 17, 2025.
“The inmates have been treated fairly and with respect for their fundamental human rights while in custody,” Isari added.
The statement further emphasized that no individual can be admitted to any custodial facility in Nigeria without a valid court-issued remand warrant, confirming that all 15 individuals were properly admitted according to legal procedures.
The NCoS also reaffirmed that the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Okaka is one of the most peaceful facilities in the country and urged the public to ignore the false reports aimed at inciting unnecessary unrest.
In closing, the NCoS reassured the public that under the leadership of Acting Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, the service remains committed to the safe, humane, and lawful custody of inmates, as well as their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.