Nearly eight months after his 12-year-old daughter, Favour Oluwatofunmi Oluwaseyi, was kidnapped from their home in Port Harcourt, Oluwaseyi Ogunasinasi is still living through what he calls a nightmare and now, he wants answers from the Nigerian Correctional Service.

In a heart-wrenching press conference on April 24, 2025, Oluwaseyi recounted the trauma his family has endured since August 7, 2024, when Favour was lured out of their sitting room by a neighbor’s daughter and abducted.

A ransom was demanded just two days later via a call traced to Enugu Correctional Centre.

Shockingly, the father claimed that the account number provided for the ransom was linked to an inmate, Chidiebere Chikezie, also known as Chiboy, a man he says is well known in the prison and whom he claims to have personally seen during a police-led visit to the prison in December.

“I saw him with my own eyes,” Ogunasinasi said emotionally. “He didn’t even look like an inmate. He wore no uniform, had an expensive wristwatch, and looked more like a visitor than a prisoner. That’s not how someone in custody should appear.”

His statements were backed by the Rivers State Civil Society Organization which accused the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) of hastily dismissing these grave allegations without any formal investigation.

The organization criticized the spokesperson of NCoS, Umar Abubakar for publicly denying the existence of the suspect and the prison visit.

“This is not just laughable; it is a disgrace; we are demanding an immediate and transparent investigation. The public deserves to know if our prisons have become safe havens for criminals to continue their operations.”

The Civil Society Organization further challenged the NCoS to release the visitor’s register for December 4, 2024, when the victim’s father, accompanied by four officers from the Special Operation and Intelligence Unit in Rivers State, visited the facility and reportedly identified the suspect.

According to them, the suspect, Chiboy, has been detained since 2021 on charges of cultism, yet somehow orchestrated the kidnapping of Favour from within the prison walls, even engaging in daily video calls with his wife.

The group revealed that the wife of the suspect was once arrested and brought to Port Harcourt but was mysteriously released without formal procedures, a move they described as “highly suspicious.”

“I have the suspect’s pictures, his wife’s pictures, and every detail about him. This is not an allegation, it is a fact,” Favour’s father, Ogunasinasi, asserted.

“I just want my daughter back. Her birthday is this Saturday. All I ask is that she comes home.”

The grieving father also called on the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Minister of Interior, Tunji Olubunmi-Ojo to intervene.

“This man must be brought out of that prison to face justice. Let him answer how he coordinated a kidnapping from custody,” the civil society group added.

“If the Correctional Service cannot prove he is no longer in their custody, then their credibility is in question. The officials involved must be investigated, and if found culpable, must be brought to book.”

The story of Favour’s disappearance has captured attention across Rivers State and beyond, with CCTV footage showing how Favour was lured out, sending a chilling reminder of the deep-rooted issues in Nigeria’s justice and correctional systems.