Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the Nigerian authorities to immediately declare an emergency at the 115-year-old Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano following the reported deaths of at least six inmates within a week from a suspected cholera outbreak.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook account on Friday, Amnesty said several other inmates were receiving treatment, warning that the number of deaths could be higher as the disease continues to spread among prisoners, most of whom are awaiting trial.
“Immediate hospital transfers must be done for critically ill prisoners,” Amnesty International Nigeria said.
It warned that failure to intervene urgently could result in further deaths and potentially amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which it described as a serious human rights violation under international law.
“The reality is that in Nigeria those in prison stand little chance of their rights being respected. Those without money stand even less chance,” the organisation said.
Amnesty International Nigeria also criticised the broader conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities, saying many inmates spend years awaiting trial in overcrowded and unhygienic cells without adequate food or healthcare.
“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.
The organisation urged the Nigerian government to urgently improve conditions in detention facilities and ensure that the treatment of inmates complies with human rights obligations, best practices and international standards.
Amnesty calls for emergency at Kano prison after six suspected cholera deaths