A powerful explosion rocked the Maiduguri Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) on Sunday night, April 20, 2025, around 9:00 PM, triggering a fire in the solitary confinement unit where Charles Okah, a high-profile inmate, has been held since March.
Initial reports suggest an explosive device, suspected to be a bomb, was hurled into Okah’s cell through the window bars. Eyewitnesses described seeing thick smoke pouring from the area, with Okah audibly coughing, choking, and screaming for help. He reportedly cried out that an object had been thrown into his cell just moments before the explosion.
The incident comes just weeks after Okah penned a public letter to Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi-Ojo, alleging systemic corruption and abuse within Maiduguri’s custodial centres. His revelations have reportedly unsettled high-ranking officials and may have exposed him to retaliation.
Disturbingly, no immediate rescue efforts were made as the fire spread. Sources inside the prison said no fire extinguishers were available and that strict bureaucratic regulations barred prison staff from unlocking cell doors at night without approval—leaving Okah trapped.
“There are no fire extinguishers in the entire facility,” a source disclosed. “The night-duty officers are nowhere to be found, and even inmates with asthma could die before morning.”
Tensions within the prison are reportedly escalating. Inmates, panicked by the blaze and lack of emergency response, fear a potential catastrophe. Some have voiced concerns that the inaction could lead to a prison break if detainees attempt to force open their cells to escape the fire and smoke.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach Nigerian Correctional Service spokesperson Abubakar Umar for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
Charles Okah is currently serving a life sentence for orchestrating the October 1, 2010, Independence Day bombing near Eagle Square, Abuja, and a March 15, 2010, attack in Warri, Delta State.
His current condition remains unknown as the fire continues to burn unchecked.
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