All 256 of the Nigerian Correctional Service’s (NCoS) detention facilities are free of Mpox cases, the organisation has declared.
Abubakar Umar, Assistant Controller of Corrections, (ACC) Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Nigeria confirmed 48 instances of mpox in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, according to NAN. The NCDC adds that there were no deaths reported.
The U.S. government sent 10,000 vaccination doses to Nigeria on August 27 in an effort to contain the outbreak.
Although Nigeria has dealt with isolated occurrences of the virus in the past, the current outbreak has made matters worse and calls for a more urgent and coordinated response.
Umar, however, credited the Service’s accomplishments to the preemptive steps done to stop the illness breakout, such as making sure that medical orders are followed, having strong hygienic systems, and having a sufficient supply of water.
Additionally, he revealed that the service was collaborating with state governments and the Ministry of Health to stop the mpox outbreak in all of Nigeria’s detention facilities.
He asserts that one of the indisputable aspects of the NCoS is the proactive measures implemented to genuinely avert disease outbreaks in our detention facilities.
“One of the numerous steps is the health hygiene of the custodial centres which is by ensuring that all the necessary steps to adhere to compliance with directives from the medical personnel is taken seriously.
“Furthermore, we have a robust system where once we notice an outbreak outside, we take proactive steps so that we do not allow staff or inmates to come in contact with or close to those who are infected or maybe infected.
“But the most important thing that the service has actually activated over the years is the issue of preventive measures, because we will ensure that sanitation and adequate water system is provided within our custodial centres.
“This is because most of these diseases has to do with what we call issue of environment and contact of an infected person and we have a robust records and good record judging from the past.
“We have never had such outbreak within our custodial centres and this will not be an exception as the NCoS Controller General, Haliru Nababa has given his assurance, “he said.
Umar confirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration made conscious steps to remedy historical neglect, which is why the NCoS has undergone gradual adjustments.
He said that this was done with better financial arrangements, upgraded infrastructure, better logistics, and considerations for the wellbeing of the staff and prisoners, among other things.
He gave his word that the service would keep its detention facilities free of infections and mentioned that the NCoS CG and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo were taking all necessary precautions to prevent the Mpox from spreading into these facilities.
He said “like I said earlier, we are doing so much that we ensure we never witness such in our custodial centres as a result of proactive measures taken by our service through the effective coordination of our medical personnel.
“This is to ensure that issue of sanitation is taken seriously within our custodial centres and also ensure water supply to our custodial centres is the one that will not bring danger to the inmates.
“This also includes the provision of necessary medical assistance to our both high profile custodial centres and even the ones that are not in danger of such Mpox. We are doing so much. No cases of Mpox in custodial centres.
“The Service has also embarked on the construction of three units of 3,000-cell high capacity custodial centres each in three geo-political zones in the country.
“These are located in Kano (North West), Karshi-Abuja (North-Central) and Bori Rivers State (South-South), in a bid to address the challenges being faced by the NCoS in accommodating inmates.
“We are in partnership with state governments, like the Ministry of Health in some of these states, to ensure that we work in synergy with them.
“This is to ensure we don’t have such outbreak because if such should happen, it will speak alot within the community where our custodial centres are located,”he said.
