Cholera deaths disputed at Kano prison

A cholera outbreak at Kurmawa prison in Kano State has killed inmates, but Amnesty International and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) have given conflicting death tolls that have not been independently reconciled. Amnesty reported at least six deaths within one week, while the NCoS said two inmates died during the outbreak. The Service said one death occurred at the custodial centre and another at Kano State’s infectious diseases hospital. It reported that the first case was identified on September 17, when an inmate developed vomiting and diarrhoea, and that laboratory tests conducted with state public health authorities confirmed the outbreak on September 23. The NCoS said the outbreak was contained by September 23 and no further deaths had been recorded since it was diagnosed. Amnesty said several other inmates were receiving treatment and warned that the death toll could be higher. It attributed the outbreak’s severity to overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate healthcare, and called on authorities to protect inmates and provide medical care.