NCoS debunks report portraying prisons as Tuberculosis hotbed

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has debunked a report by a national daily portraying Nigerian custodial centres as hotbeds of tuberculosis.

Chief Superintendent of Corrections and Service Public Relations Officer, Jane Osuji, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the report was misleading and not a true reflection of the situation within Nigerian custodial centres.

She said the Service was concerned about the report published on 3 January 2026 titled “How Nigerian Prisons Became Tuberculosis Hotbeds,” noting 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, contrary to claims in the report.

Osuji said 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”.

She noted that the author of the report 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. This approach is misleading, unfair, and gives the erroneous impression of systemic neglect where none exists.

“Tuberculosis is a global public health challenge that affects both custodial and non-custodial populations worldwide. Nigeria’s TB response is coordinated under the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

“The Nigerian Correctional Service is an active stakeholder in this national response and treats TB prevention, detection, and treatment with the seriousness it deserves.

“Contrary to the impression created by the report, NCoS operates health clinics across custodial facilities nationwide and works closely with the 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.

“Responsible journalism demands accuracy, balance, and reliance on verified, facility-specific data rather than conjecture, selective testimonies, or sensational headlines designed to misinform the public and malign public institutions,” she stated.

Osuji further explained that the 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.

She added that 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.

She recalled that these systems were effectively deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when custodial centres were categorised globally as high-risk settings, saying through proactive screening, isolation protocols, inter-agency collaboration with public health authorities, and strict adherence to national and international health guidelines, NCoS successfully prevented the spread of COVID-19 into custodial centres nationwide, with no record of active case(s).

“While the Service acknowledges the existence of congestion in some urban custodial facilities, this does not equate to indifference to inmate welfare or healthcare needs.

“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.

“This development is to significantly bolster service delivery, improve response capacity, and reinforce disease surveillance and treatment programmes within the correctional system.

“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 statement added.