Charles Okah plans N1bn rights suit over alleged torture, neglect in Maiduguri prison

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Charles Okah, convicted as the mastermind behind the October 1, 2010 Independence Day twin bombings in Abuja, is initiating a ₦1 billion fundamental human rights lawsuit against the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). He alleges prolonged torture, harassment, and medical neglect while detained at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) in Maiduguri.

Currently serving a life sentence, Okah claims to have endured more than 190 consecutive days in solitary confinement, significantly exceeding the 15-day maximum recommended by the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules.

According to family sources, the 67-year-old, who has hypertension and has lived with a single kidney since donating one in 1982, has been deprived of necessary medical attention, daily exercise, and access to essential treatments despite his fragile condition.

The situation reportedly escalated after Okah wrote an open letter to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in March 2025, revealing an alleged bribery scheme within the Maiduguri prison. He accused senior officers of falsifying court warrants to reduce fines, shorten sentences, and release inmates in exchange for money, circumventing both appellate channels and the clemency powers of the Borno State Governor.

Instead of investigating these allegations, MaSCC authorities reportedly placed Okah in punitive solitary confinement on March 16, 2025, demanding he retract the letter. He refused. “They told him the directive came from Abuja,” a source close to the matter said, “but none of the officers he exposed has faced prosecution.”

Okah’s family reports his health has worsened. On August 16, 2025, he suffered a stroke and was admitted to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where doctors recommended an urgent MRI scan.

However, prison officials allegedly withheld the funds for the procedure and returned him to solitary confinement while partially paralyzed.

“For six months he has been locked up 24 hours a day without an hour of exercise,” a family member said. “This is not just punishment, it is slow torture.”

The Okah family has filed a formal complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and is preparing a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking ₦1 billion in compensation for alleged cruel and inhumane treatment.

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Sources indicate that prominent human rights lawyers such as Femi Falana (SAN) or Festus Keyamo (SAN) might lead the legal team.

Okah insists his “crime” was merely exposing corruption within the correctional system. “Instead of addressing the rot, they are trying to silence him,” a relative stated.

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