At least six inmates have died within a week amid a suspected cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano State.
Amnesty International raised the alarm over the development, urging the authorities to urgently declare an emergency at the correctional facility.
The organisation disclosed this in a statement shared on its official Facebook page, warning that the situation could worsen if immediate measures were not taken to contain the suspected outbreak.
According to Amnesty, several other inmates are currently receiving treatment, raising concerns that the number of fatalities could increase as the suspected disease continues to spread within the prison.
It called on the authorities to immediately move critically ill inmates to hospitals where they could receive adequate medical attention and specialised care.
The human rights organisation warned that failure to take urgent action to protect the inmates could result in further deaths and amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which it described as a serious violation of human rights under international law.
Amnesty also expressed concern about the general conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities, particularly the prolonged detention of inmates awaiting trial.
It said detainees who lack the financial resources to secure legal assistance often face difficulties in enforcing their rights, with some spending years in custody without being convicted of any offence.
The organisation further raised concerns over overcrowding and poor sanitation in some correctional facilities, noting that inmates are often held in unhygienic conditions with inadequate access to food and healthcare.
Amnesty consequently called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s correctional system, stressing the need to improve inmates’ welfare and ensure that detention facilities meet accepted human rights and international standards.
