Ibara Prison Officials Ousted After Death Row Inmate’s TikTok Live

​ABEOKUTA — The Nigerian Correctional Service has swung the axe at the highest levels of the Ibara Medium Custodial Centre, removing the Officer-in-Charge and two principal officers in the wake of a sprawling security breach that saw a condemned inmate broadcast live on TikTok from his cell.

​The disciplinary action follows a viral social media storm sparked by Elijah Oyebode, a death row inmate who managed to secure an active mobile device behind bars and build a digital presence, complete with a Level 20 gifting status capable of generating cash revenue from online followers.

​Oyebode was condemned to death by hanging in 2019 by an Osun State High Court after a grueling trial that found him guilty of the murder of Rofiat Adebisi, a final-year student at Osun State University. Despite facing the ultimate judicial penalty and being housed in a maximum-security tier, the inmate bypassed stringent custodial protocols to operate online, with investigators further linking him to an auxiliary account set up to impersonate a prominent activist and content creator.

​In an official statement released on Thursday, Chief Superintendent of Corrections JN Osuji, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCoS, confirmed the swift administrative purge. He stated that the inmate’s exploitation of technology inside a federal facility constituted a grave violation of operational guidelines and an unacceptable compromise of prison security.

​”Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the inmate unlawfully possessed a prohibited mobile device, utilizing it to access social media platforms from within the custodial environment,” the statement read.

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​Prison authorities reported that the contraband device has since been retrieved during an intensive search sweep and placed into evidence as the probe deepens. Meanwhile, Oyebode has been stripped of his quarters at Ibara and stealthily transferred to an undisclosed facility under fortified, maximum-security surveillance.

​The removal of the prison’s senior leadership marks an immediate effort by the NCoS high command to restore institutional accountability. The service noted that the ousted officers will remain suspended from their duty posts pending the final recommendations of an ongoing panel investigating how contraband communication equipment breached secure perimeters.