A death-row inmate at the Ibara Custodial Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has allegedly maintained multiple TikTok accounts, participated in livestreams and received money from supporters despite serving a sentence for the murder of a university student.
The inmate, Elijah Oyebode, was sentenced to death by hanging in 2019 for the killing of Rofiat Adebisi, a final-year student of Osun State University, Ipetu Ijesha campus.
An investigation by Premium Times revealed that Oyebode had access to smartphones and the internet inside the custodial facility, allowing him to interact with thousands of social media users and solicit financial assistance.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) acknowledged that compromised officers could facilitate the movement of prohibited devices into custodial centres but said evidence would be required to identify and sanction those involved.
According to a Certified True Copy of proceedings in Suit No. HIK/6C/2017 before the Osun State High Court, Oyebode conspired to kill Adebisi on December 22, 2016.
The court records showed that the student was waiting by the roadside for transportation to Osogbo when Oyebode picked her up in his vehicle.
During investigations, the convict reportedly gave conflicting accounts of what happened.
In one statement, he claimed that he took Adebisi to his apartment after they reached an agreement and later found her unresponsive.
In another statement, he alleged that he used a charm provided by a herbalist to hypnotise her before taking her to a shrine.
Oyebode later repudiated the statements during trial and denied participating in the crime.
The court rejected his denial, relying on medical and other evidence presented by the prosecution.
Justice S.O. Falola convicted him of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging in 2019.
Despite his conviction and confinement, Oyebode allegedly created an active online presence from inside the prison.
As of Friday, he reportedly operated at least two TikTok accounts, including one under the handle @ayola.oluwafu.
Through livestreams and virtual gifts from viewers, the account reportedly reached Level 20 gifting status, indicating substantial financial activity on the platform.
He regularly appeared on live broadcasts, communicated with viewers and collected donations, with many members of the audience allegedly unaware that he was on death row.
A second account linked to Oyebode was allegedly used to impersonate TikTok host and activist Omolola Awoyele.
Awoyele said the inmate created an account bearing her name and photograph, raising concerns that it could be used to defraud people.
“Elijah created an account using my name and uploaded my picture, which meant he could potentially use it to scam people online,” she said.
After confronting him, Awoyele said Oyebode apologised, removed her photograph and changed the name of the account.
Forensic examination of TikTok identification data reportedly showed that content from the secondary account was uploaded within the same period as videos posted on Oyebode’s primary account.
Awoyele said she first encountered Oyebode after a friend shared one of his livestreams.
“When I joined the live, I heard someone saying he was in prison,” she recalled.
“I immediately wondered what a prisoner was doing on TikTok. He responded that social media was his only means of getting food and survival support.”
She said she initially doubted the claim and requested a video call to confirm his location.
“At first, I did not believe him. I asked if he had WhatsApp because I wanted to confirm his claims through a video call. Through the video call, I confirmed that he was indeed in prison,” she said.
Awoyele said she initially believed Oyebode’s claim of innocence and contacted lawyers to assist him in filing an appeal.
She later obtained the certified court records and confronted him over the evidence against him.
According to her, an appellate lawyer subsequently withdrew from the case, while she also severed contact after the inmate allegedly began issuing threats against her.
During one of Awoyele’s TikTok livestreams on April 16, 2026, Oyebode claimed that many inmates at Ibara prison possessed internet-enabled mobile phones.
“An individual may be in possession of two to three phones,” he said.
“Facebook and TikTok are full of prisoners. They will not disclose their location to anyone. If they do video calls and people see a nice background, they will not know where they are.”
Speaking about his online income, the inmate said most of those sending money to him were not family members.
“I get a lot of people sending money to me from the internet; only a few are my family. The bet I won last month was ₦85,000,” he claimed.
Oyebode alleged that correctional officers assisted inmates in bringing phones into the facility.
“The warders are not the ones selling phones to us. They only get them for us at the tarmac and smuggle them in for us,” he said.
He further alleged that officers sometimes seized phones introduced by their colleagues and demanded payments before returning them to inmates.
“Even if it is the warder that brought it in for you, if another warder sees it, he will seize it and demand a certain amount from you before you get it back,” he alleged.
“Because the phone is our companion, we will definitely pay for its release.”
The claims have not been independently established.
The condemned inmate also claimed that some officers facilitated the movement of drugs into the custodial centre in exchange for money.
“Warders smuggle drugs in for inmates,” he alleged.
“The inmate might buy the drugs for about ₦500,000, and the warder who smuggled them in might collect ₦100,000 from them. So, after repackaging and reselling, the inmates can make ₦2 million from the drugs.”
He further alleged that some wealthy inmates were allowed to leave the facility under the supervision of officers to visit personal properties and meet people outside.
“There are some inmates here who are building hotels outside the prison and always go there for supervision with the aid of the warders while facing the death penalty,” he claimed.
Oyebode described the institution as one that had failed in its rehabilitative responsibility.
“I will not deceive you; it is no longer a correctional centre. It is corrupting people more,” he said.
The Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, prohibits the introduction and use of unauthorised communication devices inside custodial facilities.
Under Section 29(1)(c), an officer who facilitates the use of communication devices by inmates may face a fine of up to ₦3m, imprisonment for up to three years, or both.
The law also prescribes sanctions for officers who introduce drugs or unlawfully release inmates from custody.
Legal experts said escorting a condemned inmate outside a custodial facility for private activities would have no lawful basis and could expose the officers involved to criminal prosecution.
Responding to the investigation, the National Spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Jane Osuji, said the agency could not immediately confirm the specific allegations but acknowledged that some officers could compromise security procedures.
“I cannot sit down here and tell you that it is true or it’s not true because where there are so many individuals, there will be one or two bad eggs in them,” the spokesperson said.
“We want a situation where we can work together so that we can have evidence of this, track it, and get both the inmates and the officers that are enabling this.”
Osuji warned that unauthorised internet access from inside correctional facilities posed a major national security threat.
“If they can join a live social media platform for fun or monetary value, they can as well do anything from the comfort of their cells,” the spokesperson said.
“When they are able to organise their criminal activities from behind the walls of the correctional service, then you and I are in for it.”
The NCoS said more than 1,400 officers had faced disciplinary action over various forms of misconduct, including dismissals, demotions and suspensions.
The service added that tactical teams routinely conducted unannounced searches and destroyed prohibited items recovered from inmates.
It said plans were also underway to install closed-circuit television cameras in custodial facilities to improve monitoring.
The spokesperson appealed to members of the public not to send money or virtual gifts to inmates operating unauthorised social media accounts.
“If inmates continue to receive such assistance without reports being made to the authorities, they may leave correctional facilities worse than when they entered, defeating the purpose of correction and rehabilitation,” Osuji warned.
The correctional service, however, did not explain how Oyebode allegedly maintained several accounts, participated in livestreams, received money and placed online bets over an extended period while on death row.
