Ogunsinasi Oluwaseyi, father of 12-year-old Oluwaseyi Favour, who was allegedly abducted by an inmate of the Enugu Correctional Centre, has criticised the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) for hastily dismissing his claims without a proper investigation.

Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, Oluwaseyi expressed disappointment at the swift denial issued by the NCoS spokesperson, Mr Umar Abubakar, who he said dismissed the allegation as baseless without a thorough inquiry.

He revealed that on December 4, 2024, he visited the Enugu Correctional Centre with four police officers from the Special Operations, Intelligence and Tactical Unit attached to Mile 1 Division, Port Harcourt, to identify the suspect, one Chidiebere Chikezie, also known as Chi-boy.

According to him, the suspect, an inmate, was not dressed in a prison uniform and was seen wearing a wristwatch. He also questioned how the inmate could access mobile phones and make video calls from within the correctional facility.

“To my greatest surprise, on April 20, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, speedily responded and debunked such a strong allegation, claiming that such a thing never happened,” he said.

Oluwaseyi further alleged that Abubakar denied the existence of a person bearing the suspect’s name in the prison and claimed that he never visited the Enugu Correctional Centre, despite having evidence, including photographs of the suspect.

“How can he debunk such an allegation without a proper and thorough investigation into the Enugu Correctional Centre?” he asked. The distraught father called for justice and demanded the safe return of his daughter, especially as her birthday approaches on April 26. He also urged authorities to investigate the release of the suspect’s wife, who he claimed was freed without proper procedure after being arrested.

“How can someone who is an inmate be doing video calls regularly? I know because he made such calls with his wife while she was in custody. Yet, she was released without a cogent reason or a surety,” he added.

“I just want my daughter back. What will give me joy is for Favour to be released, especially as her birthday is on Saturday. I want everyone involved in this to be brought to justice.”

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation has called for an immediate and thorough investigation into allegations that the Enugu Correctional Facility was compromised, allowing a kidnap suspect to operate freely while in custody.

The group expressed concern over the Nigerian Correctional Service’s hasty dismissal of the allegations without providing evidence. According to the group’s Chairman, Mr Enefaa Georgewill, the NCoS’s response was “laughable and embarrassing.”

He demanded that the NCoS conduct an open and transparent probe, make public the visitors’ register for December 4, 2024, and provide concrete evidence to support its denial.

The group also called on the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to lead the investigation and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.