By Victoria Onehi
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has refuted a media report titled “How Nigerian Prisons Became Tuberculosis Hotbed ” published in a National daily.
A statement by the,Chief Superintendent of Corrections Service PRO,Jane Osuji in a statement disclosed that while the Service recognises and welcomes responsible media engagement on matters of public health and inmate welfare, it is compelled to respond to the misleading narrative, sweeping generalisations, and inaccurate conclusions presented in the report, which do not reflect the true situation within Nigerian custodial centres.
The statement reads in part:
“It is important to place on record that the reporter in question contacted the Nigerian Correctional Service with enquiries on tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens and control measures in custodial centres. The Service provided detailed, factual, and verifiable information, outlining existing TB prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment frameworks in line with national and international standards. Regrettably, the report adopted a sensational tone by portraying custodial centres as unchecked “hotbeds” for tuberculosis.
“Contrary to the impression created by the report, NCoS operates health clinics across custodial facilities nationwide and works closely with the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme ,NTBLCP, Federal and State Ministries of Health, non- Governmental Organisations and development partners. These collaborations support routine TB screening, laboratory diagnosis, treatment initiation, adherence monitoring, and referral to secondary or tertiary health institutions where required. Inmates diagnosed with tuberculosis are promptly placed on nationally approved treatment regimens at no cost.
“The report’s broad claims and narratives portraying custodial centres as tuberculosis “hotbeds” are not supported by verified NCoS data. Notably, names and cases cited in the report do not exist in the records of any custodial centre known to the Service.
“Healthcare management within custodial centres includes medical screening upon entry into the centre, periodic health assessments, infection prevention and control measures, isolation of infectious cases where clinically indicated, and structured referral systems to external hospitals when necessary. These measures are continuously reviewed and strengthened, even as the Service contends with challenges such as ageing infrastructure and increasing inmate populations; challenges that mirror broader systemic issues within the national health and justice sectors.
“It is also instructive to recall that the Nigerian Correctional Service has a clearly defined structure, protocols, and response mechanisms for the prevention and management of communicable diseases within custodial environments. These systems were effectively deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when custodial centres were categorised globally as high-risk settings.
“NCoS remains actively engaged in decongestion efforts through jail delivery exercises, collaboration with the judiciary, and the expansion of non-custodial measures as provided for under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act. These interventions are central to improving custodial conditions and health outcomes. Furthermore, the Federal Government has approved the recruitment of additional medical and healthcare professionals to strengthen and enhance health service delivery across custodial centres nationwide.
“The Nigerian Correctional Service remains committed to safeguarding the health, dignity, and human rights of all persons in custody, recognising that custodial health is inseparable from public health. While the Service remains open to constructive criticism and informed public discourse, it strongly rejects reports that are misleading, deliberately alarmist, and designed to misinform the public or portray the Service in an unjustifiably negative light.
“The NCoS will continue to strengthen partnerships, improve healthcare delivery, and pursue reforms that promote humane custody, rehabilitation, and reintegration in line with national laws and international best practices.”She stated.
