The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has admitted that limited resources and staffing shortages are hampering efforts to address a deepening mental health crisis in custodial centres (prisons), where 8,246 inmates are currently battling mental illness.
The figure came to light on Tuesday during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment by the NCoS, held in Abuja.
The Assistant Controller General of Corrections in charge of Medical Services, Dr. Glory Essien, described the difficult realities of incarceration and its toll on inmates’ mental state.
“From the moment someone is brought in, those who have seen a custodial centre know what I mean, the police escort them to the gate, it’s opened, they’re admitted, and then that gate locks behind them.
“That instant loss of freedom can trigger something. Some begin to show signs of disturbed behaviour almost immediately, as if something in their mind has shifted,” she said.
Essien noted that the service relies on an internal system of trained inmate-leaders to help identify those showing signs of distress.
“These leaders are trained to alert the staff when they notice concerning behaviour. They might say, ‘This inmate seems dazed, hasn’t eaten, hasn’t spoken to anyone.’ That helps us intervene early,” she explained.
She stressed that the mental health challenge far outweighs the available manpower.
“If you’re in a facility housing 500 to 1,000 inmates, and you’re the only attending doctor, nurse, or psychologist, it’s simply not possible to monitor everyone individually,” she said.
“That’s why we rely on these trained inmates to help us identify those in need, so we can provide care as best we can.”
On the difficulty of delivering treatment, Essien added that, Mental illness is chronic, it’s not like malaria where you give a dose and it clears up, pointing to transportation problems, drug shortages, and staff limitations as persistent obstacles.
“We’re not operating in a five-star environment. But with the little we have, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of our work,”she said.
The Assistant Controller General of Corrections in charge of pharmaceutical services, Mohammed Bashir, acknowledged the government’s efforts but admitted that funding remains insufficient.
“The Federal Government has actually been doing its enormous best to see that it caters to the health needs of the inmates. Money has been appropriated, but is the money enough? No,” he said.
Bashir disclosed that of the 81,122 inmates across 256 correctional facilities nationwide, only about 2.3 percent are female.
He also revealed that basic needs for women inmates cost millions monthly.
“A single item, like sanitary pads for menstruating inmates, costs over four million naira monthly,” he stated.
On mental health treatment, Bashir confirmed the existence of a psychological services unit and a partnership with psychiatric and psychological associations.
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“We have the consultants that usually go to about 12 designated custodial centres that have a large number of these cases,” he said, adding that drug supplies often run out within weeks due to limited funds and personnel.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and chair of the panel, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, made an urgent appeal for professional and corporate support.
“Please come to Macedonia and help us,” she urged, calling for psychiatric and psychological aid in states beyond Abuja and Lagos.
Ajani warned against concentrating mental health professionals in only major cities.
“Let them not only be centered in Abuja and Lagos. We need them to go out to the fields. Because if we even put two in the states, it will help them,” she said.
She also pushed for transparency and stronger public-private partnerships.
“PPP arrangements will help us in terms of public-private partnership. We can approach companies that can give us drugs as CSR, they do it,” she noted.
Ajani closed with a call for leadership and mentorship in tackling the problem.
“So don’t let us sit in the office and forget our primary responsibility. Do it now. Build a bridge and empower younger people to be able to sustain that bridge that you are building.”
