Some serving inmates at the Okere Prison in Warri South Area of Delta State have been linked to a robbery in Benin City, Edo State, according to SaharaReporters.
The robbery occurred on 3rd January 2025, when armed assailants stole valuable items from a young man and transferred N4 million to an online bank account during the incident.
The victim initially reported the crime to the Edo State Police Command, but progress in identifying the assailants was slow. However, after conducting a geo-analysis of the account, the victim traced the location to the Udu axis in Delta State, prompting further investigation.
A breakthrough came when the account holder was arrested. During questioning, she revealed that her boyfriend, whom she had met online, had instructed her to open the bank account after claiming that his phone had fallen into a river. She was unaware that the money was linked to the robbery.
She said: “I met him online and we started talking and one thing led to another, he started professing love and I accepted.
“He told me he works offshore and have so many staff under him. He called me early January and told me that his phone fell into the River but expecting to receive some money and asked me to help him open the bank account which I obliged. Later, he sent a lady to pick the ATM of the very account from me.
“On the 4th of January, I got alert of 4million and told him. Later that day, he sent account numbers to me with instruction to pay some 600k, some 1.5million some 1million etc.”
Further investigation led the police to the Warri Correctional Facility, where they traced the robbery operation to several inmates.
When the police stormed the prison, they faced resistance from prison officials, who initially refused to produce the suspects. Despite this, one suspect, a death row inmate, was apprehended and confirmed his participation in the robbery.
Engr. Udoka Emmanuel Chika-dibie, the Executive Assistant (Security) to the Delta State Governor, confirmed the report, stating that some corrupt prison officials had allegedly taken bribes, allowing inmates to leave the prison for criminal activities and return undetected. The inmates involved in the robbery had been able to carry out the operation in Benin City and return to the prison, continuing their sentences without suspicion due to the collusion with prison staff.
Chika-dibie explained that the victim, after being robbed, brought the case to Ekpan Police Station due to progress made by the police in a previous case involving the killing of Paulinus Okon at Otokutu.
The victim had conducted a geo-analysis of the account, which led to the Udu axis. The DPO arrested the account holder, who confessed to being instructed by her boyfriend to open the account and withdraw money for him.
Further investigation revealed that the robbery was orchestrated by inmates from the Okere Prison, who were allowed to leave for the operation and return without detection.
Bright Edafe, the Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, told SaharaReporters he would investigate the matter, but no further update was provided at the time of reporting.
