Charles Okah, the convicted mastermind of the October 1, 2010 Independence Day twin bombings in Abuja, is preparing a ₦1 billion fundamental human rights lawsuit against the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over what he calls prolonged torture, persecution, and medical neglect inside the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) in Maiduguri.
Okah, who is serving a life sentence, claims he has spent over 190 consecutive days in solitary confinement, far beyond the 15-day limit recommended by the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules.
According to family sources, the 67-year-old, who suffers from hypertension and has lived with a single kidney since donating one in 1982, has been denied medical care, daily exercise, and access to vital treatment despite his fragile health.
The crisis reportedly began after Okah penned an open letter to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in March 2025, exposing an alleged bribery ring inside the Maiduguri prison. In the letter, he accused senior officers of forging court warrants to reduce fines, shorten sentences, and even free inmates in exchange for cash, bypassing both appellate procedures and the Borno State Governor’s clemency powers.
Rather than investigate the claims, MaSCC officials allegedly placed Okah in punitive isolation on March 16, 2025, ordering him to retract his letter. He refused. “They told him the directive came from Abuja,” a source familiar with the case said, “but none of the officers he exposed has faced prosecution.”
Okah’s family says his health has deteriorated. On August 16, 2025, he reportedly suffered a stroke and was taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where doctors recommended an urgent MRI scan.
Prison authorities allegedly failed to release funds for the test 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,” one family member lamented. “This is not just punishment, it is slow torture.”
The Okah family has lodged a formal petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and is finalizing a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, demanding ₦1 billion in damages for alleged cruel and inhuman treatment.
Sources say prominent human rights lawyers, including Femi Falana (SAN) or Festus Keyamo (SAN), may lead the legal team.
Okah maintains that his “crime” was simply exposing corruption within the correctional system. “Instead of addressing the rot, they are trying to silence him,” a relative said.
