A panel investigating alleged corruption and abuse in Nigeria’s correctional system has raised concerns over increasing inmate deaths linked to poor feeding and food racketeering in detention facilities.
Dr. Uju Agomoh, Secretary of the Independent Investigative Panel on the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), disclosed this at a public hearing in Abuja, highlighting severe food shortages in correctional facilities.
“During our inspection in February, we found that food supplies in all the facilities we visited fell far below the approved weekly standard,” she said.
“Many inmates are dying due to starvation. I have been visiting correctional centers for over 30 years, but I have never seen the situation this bad.”
Agomoh attributed the crisis to officials responsible for food supply, accusing them of diverting resources for personal gain.
“Those supplying food to custodial facilities are the officers in charge, and in their drive for profit, they are failing in their duties. The food quantity is inadequate, and corruption is making things worse,” she added.
The panel is seeking accountability from the NCoS, particularly regarding the enforcement of Section 14, Subsection 4 of the NCoS Act, which mandates proper inmate welfare.
Responding to the allegations, a representative of the Acting Controller General of the NCoS, Ibrahim Idris, said a ‘Prison Ration Committee’ had been set up at the national headquarters to monitor food distribution and ensure compliance with set standards.
However, panel member Dr. Ikechukwu Ezeugo, also known as Consultant Iyke, raised further concerns about the misuse of farm centers operated by the NCoS.
He noted that despite having over 12 farm centers, only a few are functional, and food grown by inmates is often sold to private contractors instead of being used to feed the prisoners.
“We also observed that some inmates working in the farm centers are unfit for labor, with some suffering from sickle cell disease and others being underage,” Ezeugo added.
