Aging Nigerian Prisons Lack Basic Facilities, Struggle To Meet Minimum Living Standards — U.S. Report

The United States has underscored the significant challenge of overcrowding in Nigerian prisons.

In its ‘2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria,’ published on its website on Tuesday, the US noted that numerous correctional facilities were grappling with a staggering 50 per cent increase in the number of inmates beyond their intended capacity, revealing a systemic issue.

Furthermore, it was disclosed that a notable proportion of these prisons, some with histories dating back 70 to 80 years, faced difficulties in meeting even the most fundamental standards of living.

The report stated, “Overcrowding was a significant problem. As of September, prison facilities had 50 per cent more inmates than designed capacity.

“Many prisons were constructed 70 to 80 years ago and lacked basic facilities. Some prisons had no facilities to care for pregnant women or nursing inmates.”

The United States further stressed that necessities like clean water and proper sewage systems were frequently absent, resulting in hazardous and unsanitary conditions within Nigerian prisons.

Furthermore, it pointed out the deficiencies in healthcare provision within prisons, with shortages of medical supplies worsening the situation.

The report added that inmates in need of serious medical attention were sometimes transferred to government hospitals, underscoring the inadequacies of on-site medical services.

“Lack of potable water, inadequate sewage facilities, and overcrowding sometimes resulted in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. Disease was pervasive in cramped, poorly ventilated prison facilities, which had chronic shortages of medical supplies.

“Inadequate medical treatment caused some prisoners to die from treatable illnesses, such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Although authorities attempted to isolate persons with communicable diseases, facilities often lacked adequate space, and inmates with these illnesses lived with the general prison population.

“Prisons provided limited healthcare to inmates and transferred seriously ill prisoners to government hospitals,” the report revealed.

It also highlighted prison staff misappropriating funds intended for inmate meals, leaving prisoners impoverished and reliant on the goodwill of others to survive.

It added that In certain instances, authorities withheld food and medical treatment as a form of punishment or extortion, a development, it said, revealed systemic abuses within the prison system.

“Prison employees, police, and other security force personnel sometimes denied inmates food and medical treatment to punish them or extort money,” the report added.