How Bauchi inmate runs car theft ring from prison

Two suspects arrested with a stolen vehicle in Bauchi have alleged that an inmate identified as “Awwalu Teacher” coordinated a vehicle theft syndicate from inside the correctional centre using a mobile phone, a claim the Nigerian Correctional Service has denied.

Two suspects arrested with a stolen vehicle have alleged that an inmate serving a jail term in Bauchi correctional centre coordinated the sale of stolen vehicles from inside the prison.

The suspects, who made the claims during interrogation at the Bauchi Metro Police Division, alleged that the mastermind, identified only as “Awwalu Teacher,” coordinated their criminal activities from within the prison.

Daily Trust reports that they claimed they first met “Awwalu Teacher” while previously incarcerated in 2021, alleging he recruited and trained them before establishing a vehicle theft syndicate he continued to direct from the correctional facility.

The prime suspect, Mohammed Isma’il, alleged that after stealing a vehicle, he would contact “Teacher” using a mobile phone, who would then negotiate with buyers and facilitate the sale. He said the syndicate had successfully sold two stolen vehicles, with the inmate receiving between N50,000 and N100,000 per transaction via electronic transfers.

Another suspect, Abubakar, corroborated the account, claiming he also met “Teacher” while in custody and later purchased one of the stolen vehicles through the inmate’s coordination.

Confirming the arrests, spokesperson of the Bauchi State Police Command, SP Nafiu Habib, said the command received a report on June 29, 2026, about a stolen green Opel Vectra, which was intercepted at Dorawan Dillalai, with follow-up operations in Gombe State leading to the arrest of two additional suspects. Habib declined to comment on the correctional facility allegations, referring inquiries to the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Responding, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Bauchi State Command, DSC A.U. Tata, dismissed the claims, saying, “We don’t have any inmate bearing that name in our facility.”

However, a warder who spoke anonymously said inmates sometimes bribe staff to obtain smuggled phones and coordinate crime from within prisons, citing chronic congestion as a contributing factor. He referenced the 2021 riot at the facility, linked to an officer accused of smuggling phones and drugs to inmates.