A mother tries to smuggle drugs into prison for her son on death row.

A shocking case has once again rocked the Nigerian prison system. A woman identified as Mrs. Iyabo Sowunmi was arrested on Friday, August 28, 2026, at around 1:33 p.m., while attempting to smuggle drugs into the Medium Security Correctional Centre (MSCC) in Ibara, located in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

It was during a routine check at the main entrance of the facility that prison officers thwarted the scheme. The suspicious substance, carefully concealed inside a sachet of Milo brand powdered drink, immediately caught the attention of the guards.

Initial analyses indicate that it is "Colos", a particularly powerful and dangerous psychoactive synthetic drug.

The recipient of the package was none other than the suspect's own son, Dare Sowunmi, an inmate currently on death row.

The information was officially confirmed this Monday in a statement given to the Daily Trust media by Odukoya Olayinka, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) for the Ogun State Command.

Following this discovery, the prison command immediately detained Ms. Sowunmi before transferring her to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The federal agency is now responsible for conducting a thorough investigation and pursuing legal action.

This incident comes amid a particularly tense atmosphere at Ibara Correctional Facility. Just a few weeks ago, the facility was at the center of a major social media scandal. Elijah Oyebode, another death row inmate serving his sentence for the 2019 murder of a student, was managing TikTok accounts from his cell, hosting live video streams, receiving virtual gifts, placing sports bets, and conducting business with complete impunity.