A woman has been taken into custody after correctional officers allegedly intercepted a shipment of suspected illicit drugs disguised as a household beverage, in what authorities describe as an attempt to deliver the contraband to her son, an inmate on death row.
According to a statement from the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the suspect, identified as Mrs. Iyabo Sowunmi, was arrested at about 1:33 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026, during a routine screening at the facility’s main entrance of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ibara, Abeokuta.
Command spokesperson Odukoya Olayinka said officers grew suspicious during the standard entry check and discovered a substance suspected to be “Colos,” a psychoactive synthetic drug, concealed inside a sachet of a popular beverage powder. The package, officials say, was intended for an inmate named Dare Sowunmi, who is currently on death row at the facility.
Describing the sequence of events, Odukoya said: “At approximately 1:33 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026, routine screening procedures at the facility’s main entry point led to the detection of suspicious substances believed to be the psychoactive synthetic drug commonly known as ‘Colos,’ concealed within a sachet of a popular beverage powder.”
Following her arrest, Mrs. Sowunmi was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and possible prosecution, in line with standard inter-agency protocol between the two bodies.
The Controller of Corrections for the Ogun State Command, Abioye Kamoru Adesina, commended the vigilance of the screening officers and used the incident to reaffirm the command’s stance on contraband. “Our custodial facilities exist to ensure public safety, reformation, and rehabilitation.
We maintain an absolute zero-tolerance policy for drug trafficking or any illegal acts designed to compromise security,” Adesina said, warning that anyone caught attempting similar acts would face swift legal consequences.
The arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of contraband flows into Nigerian correctional facilities. A separate investigative report cited in coverage of the incident alleged that some inmates retain access to mobile phones and internet connectivity behind bars and that contraband, including phones and drugs, could be smuggled into the prison, with some correctional officers allegedly facilitating the movement of such items.
In response, the Correctional Service has acknowledged the vulnerability of custodial facilities to contraband and staff compromise, while maintaining that it enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward misconduct and unauthorized gadgets.
“Colos,” the substance named in the case, has emerged in recent years as one of several synthetic psychoactive drugs circulating in Nigeria, often disguised in everyday packaging to evade detection. A pattern investigators say this case appears to fit.
As of this report, Mrs. Sowunmi remains in NDLEA custody as the investigation continues, and no formal charges have yet been publicly announced.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
An Ogun mother, Iyabo Sowunmi, was caught trying to smuggle a synthetic drug called “Colos” hidden inside a beverage sachet to her death-row son during a routine prison screening.
She’s now with the NDLEA facing possible prosecution. Even everyday household items are being used to disguise contraband headed into Nigerian correctional facilities, underscoring why screening protocols exist and why authorities are warning that attempts to beat them will be met with serious legal consequences.
