Says 3,845 inmates on death row difficult to deal with
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has cried out for assistance, claiming that it is battling with low medical supplies for the sick and inmates with mental health issues due to the large number of inmates in the custody of the service.
  
The service noted that the agency was bedevilled with challenges, especially concerning care for the inmates with mental health issues, inmates on death row, and care for pregnant female inmates due to the tight budget.
  
The Head of the Medical Services of the agency, Dr Gloria Essuen, made this known during the agency’s presentation to the Independent Investigative Panel on the alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, Cruel, Inhumane Treatment against the Nigerian Correctional Service on the Treatment of Women in Custody, Inmates on Death Row and Inmates With Disabilities, yesterday in Abuja.
  
She said that it was quite challenging managing the number of inmates with mental health issues because the logistics involved were quite high, coupled with the challenge of overcrowding, which puts a strain on the availability of drugs for the sick generally.
 
Also, the Assistant Controller General, Cyrus Lekatile, while giving details on challenges the agency faced in the management of 3,845 inmates on death row, identified overcrowding as a key strain on the system.
  
He said: “The high number of inmates on death row contributes significantly to the overcrowding, making it difficult to provide adequate care and rehabilitation programmes.
  
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Interior and Chairperson of the Panel, Dr Magdalene Ajani, said: “Conducting pregnancy tests for females coming into custody is a must and there should be no excuse in this regard.”
  
The panel Secretary, Dr Uju Agomoh, in a presentation, said there were significant concerns regarding the representation of women within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), noting that women constituted only 2.3 per cent of the total inmate population, a figure that had remained consistent over the years. 
  
The panel emphasised the importance of fully implementing Section 34 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act and requested specific details on the implementation status for each subsection under that section, as well as any challenges faced by the NCoS.
  
It, therefore, issued a directive for a comprehensive mapping of mixed correctional facilities to identify challenges related to compliance with Section 34, even in temporary arrangements. 
  
Additionally, the panel asked NCoS to provide a record of pregnancy tests administered on female inmates over the past year to ensure compliance and address any discrepancies noted.