Mother arrested taking drugs to son on death row

Abimbola Joseph

The Nigerian Correctional Service has arrested a woman, Iyabo Sowunmi, for allegedly attempting to smuggle suspected illicit drugs into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, for her son, Dare Sowunmi, who is on death row.

The woman was arrested at about 1.33 pm on Friday, August 28, during routine screening at the facility’s main entrance, according to the spokesperson for the Ogun State Command of the NCoS, Olayinka Odukoya.

Odukoya said officers discovered a substance suspected to be “Colos”, a psychoactive synthetic drug, concealed in a sachet of a popular beverage powder.

He said the substance was allegedly intended for Dare Sowunmi, an inmate on death row at the custodial centre.

“Routine screening procedures at the facility’s main entry point led to the detection of suspicious substances, believed to be the psychoactive synthetic drug commonly known as ‘Colos’, concealed within a sachet of a popular beverage powder,” Odukoya said.

He added that the suspect was immediately detained and later handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for investigation and prosecution.

The Controller of Corrections, Ogun State Command, Abioye Adesina, commended the officers for their vigilance, stressing that the correctional service maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking and other acts capable of compromising security in custodial facilities.

Adesina warned that attempts to introduce contraband into correctional centres would attract legal action.

He said custodial facilities were established to protect the public while promoting the reformation and rehabilitation of inmates, urging members of the public to respect security procedures when visiting correctional centres.