Conflicting accounts have emerged over the cholera outbreak at Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State, with Amnesty International alleging six inmate deaths while the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) insists only two fatalities were recorded.
Amnesty International, in a statement on Friday, accused authorities of failing to protect inmates from preventable deaths, citing overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate healthcare as factors that worsened the outbreak.
The rights group warned that the deaths amounted to “arbitrary deprivation of life,” a violation of international human rights law.
But in a statement issued on Saturday, the NCoS countered Amnesty’s claims, confirming that only two inmates died.
According to the Service, one inmate died inside the facility and another at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital.
The Service said emergency medical protocols were activated immediately after the first case was detected on September 17, and that the outbreak was contained by September 23.
According to the NCoS, joint interventions by prison medical staff and Kano State public health officials helped stabilise the situation.
Senior medical personnel were also deployed from Abuja to monitor conditions and prevent further spread.
Meanwhile, an official at Kurmawa prison who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity confirmed that there are currently no cholera patients at the facility.
“Presently, there is no other cholera patient in the facility,” he said, adding that authorities are still gathering more details.
He noted that the prison service intends to corroborate its findings with Amnesty’s report, with full details expected to be released on Monday.
The incident occurred days after about 37 suspected illegal miners died at a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) facility in Niger State.
The Niger incident is currently under probe.
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