Cholera: Amnesty urges emergency declaration at Kurmawa Maximum Prison over death of six inmates

Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the Nigerian authorities to immediately declare an emergency at the 115-year-old Kurmawa Maximum Custodial Centre in Kano following the death of at least six inmates from a suspected cholera outbreak.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Friday, the human rights organisation said a number of inmates are currently receiving treatment, warning that the death toll could be higher as the disease spreads.

“The number of those who died could be higher as the disease infects more inmates — mostly on awaiting trial. Immediate hospital transfers must be done for critically ill prisoners,” Amnesty said.

Amnesty warned that failure to urgently intervene could lead to more deaths and “may amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which is a serious human rights violation under international law.”

The organisation also criticised conditions in Nigerian correctional centres, saying inmates often spend years awaiting trial in overcrowded and filthy cells without adequate food and healthcare.

“The reality is that in Nigeria those in prison stand little chance of their rights being respected. Those without money stand even less chance. Some could end up spending the rest of their lives behind bars in appalling conditions without ever having been convicted of a crime,” it said.

“Many inmates are left for years awaiting trial in filthy overcrowded cells without adequate food and healthcare. This must change to ensure full compliance with best practices and international standards,” Amnesty added.