NCoS Dismisses Claims of Prisons as TB Hotbeds, Reaffirms Strong Disease Control Measures

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has rejected claims that custodial centres across the country have become “hotbeds” for tuberculosis (TB), describing such assertions as misleading, alarmist, and unsupported by verified data.

In a press statement issued on Sunday by the NCOS Spokesperson, Jane Osuji, the Service faulted a report published by one of the national dailies, not ThisDay, on January 3, 2026, titled “How Nigerian Prisons Became Tuberculosis Hotbeds,” insisting that the narrative failed to reflect the realities within Nigeria’s correctional facilities.

According to the NCoS, while it welcomes responsible media engagement on public health and inmate welfare, the report relied on sweeping generalisations and unverified claims, despite the Service having provided the reporter with detailed and factual information on tuberculosis prevention and treatment in custodial centres.

“The portrayal of custodial centres as unchecked tuberculosis hotbeds is misleading and unfair,” the Service said, adding that some of the names and cases cited in the report do not exist in the records of any correctional facility known to the Service.

The NCoS noted that tuberculosis remains a global public health challenge affecting both custodial and non-custodial populations, stressing that Nigeria’s TB response is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), in line with World Health Organization guidelines.

It explained the Service is an active stakeholder in the national TB response, operating health clinics across custodial centres nationwide and working closely with the NTBLCP, federal and state ministries of health, non-governmental organisations, and development partners.

These collaborations, the Service said, 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 placed on nationally approved treatment regimens at no cost.

The NCoS further outlined that healthcare management in custodial centres includes medical screening upon admission, periodic health assessments, infection prevention and control measures, isolation of infectious cases when clinically indicated, and structured referral systems to external hospitals.

While acknowledging challenges such as congestion in some urban custodial facilities and ageing infrastructure, the Service stressed that these issues do not amount to neglect of inmate welfare.

It highlighted ongoing decongestion efforts through jail delivery exercises, collaboration with the judiciary, and the expansion of non-custodial measures provided for under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act.

The Service also recalled its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that despite custodial centres being classified globally as high-risk environments, proactive screening, isolation protocols, and close collaboration with public health authorities ensured that no active COVID-19 cases were recorded in custodial centres nationwide.

According to the NCoS, this experience demonstrates its institutional capacity and preparedness to manage communicable diseases, including tuberculosis, within custodial settings.

The statement added that the federal government has approved the recruitment of additional medical and healthcare professionals to further strengthen health service delivery, disease surveillance, and treatment programmes across custodial centres.

Reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the health, dignity, and human rights of persons in custody, the Nigerian Correctional Service said it remains open to constructive criticism but will continue to challenge reports that misinform the public or unjustly malign the institution.