The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has revealed that no fewer than 8,246 inmates in its custodial centres across the country are currently suffering from various mental health conditions.
Assistant Controller General of Corrections in charge of Medical Services, Glory Essien, made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday during a public hearing by the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment by the NCoS.
Essien painted a grim picture of the psychological toll of incarceration, stressing that the sudden loss of freedom often triggers mental distress among new inmates.
“From the moment someone is brought in, the gate closes behind them, and that instant loss of freedom can spark something.
Some inmates begin to show signs of disturbed behaviour almost immediately, as if something in their mind has shifted,” she said.
According to her, the service relies on trained inmate leaders to help identify colleagues exhibiting symptoms of mental distress, alerting prison staff for early intervention.
Despite these efforts, Essien lamented that the mental health crisis in prisons far outweighs the available human and material resources.
“If you are the only doctor, nurse or psychologist in a facility holding 500 to 1,000 inmates, it is simply impossible to monitor everyone,” she noted, citing chronic illnesses, inadequate drug supply, staff shortages and logistical challenges as major hurdles.
Assistant Controller General in charge of Pharmaceutical Services, Mohammed Bashir, disclosed that the government had created a psychological services unit and partnered with psychiatric associations to support 12 major custodial centres with high mental illness cases.
However, he admitted that drug supplies often run out within weeks due to underfunding, adding that other inmate welfare needs, such as sanitary pads for women, cost the service millions monthly.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Magdalene Ajani, who chairs the panel, called for urgent intervention, appealing to medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies to extend support beyond major cities.
“We are in dire need of psychiatric and psychological aid in remote states. Let these services not be centred only in Abuja and Lagos,” Ajani urged, stressing the importance of public-private partnerships in bridging the treatment gap.
The NCoS currently holds 81,122 inmates in 256 correctional facilities nationwide, with women making up about 2.3 per cent of the prison population.
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