The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), through its Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corrections JN Osuji, has confirmed the death of two inmates following a cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State.
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Osuji, in a statement issued on Saturday, said laboratory investigations conducted by the Service’s medical team in collaboration with Kano State public health authorities confirmed the outbreak on September 23, 2026.
According to him, the first suspected case was detected on September 17 after an inmate developed symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.
The inmate was immediately admitted and treated at the custodial centre’s medical facility, while emergency health measures were activated the following day as medical personnel intensified surveillance, treatment and preventive interventions.
The Service said the outbreak subsequently claimed two lives, with one death recorded at the custodial centre and the other at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital.
NCoS, however, said the outbreak had been brought under control following coordinated medical interventions, adding that no further deaths had been recorded since the disease was confirmed.
The official confirmation comes after Amnesty International Nigeria raised alarm over conditions at the facility and claimed that at least six inmates had died within one week amid a suspected cholera outbreak.
Amnesty had called on authorities to declare an emergency at the custodial centre and immediately transfer critically ill inmates to hospitals, warning that the number of fatalities could increase if the situation was not urgently addressed.
The NCoS statement, however, put the number of deaths linked to the laboratory-confirmed cholera outbreak at two.
Following confirmation of the outbreak, the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, directed that medical intervention, disease surveillance and preventive measures be sustained in collaboration with the Kano State Government.
Nwakuche also ordered a team of senior medical personnel from the NCoS National Headquarters to proceed to the facility to monitor the situation and support continuing efforts to prevent a recurrence.
The Service said additional preventive measures had been introduced at the centre and assured that inmates continued to have access to healthcare through qualified medical personnel.
It further said disease surveillance, early detection and prompt medical response were being strengthened across custodial facilities in partnership with relevant public health authorities.
The Controller-General reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to protecting the health, dignity and welfare of persons in custody in accordance with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, and established correctional standards.
NCoS also urged members of the public to rely on verified information from official sources as monitoring of the situation continues.
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