By Palma Ileye
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has flagged off the second quarter 2026 nationwide distribution of essential drugs and medicaments to Commands and Custodial centres across the country as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve inmates’ welfare and promote mental wellbeing.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony on Wednesday, the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, said the initiative demonstrates the Service’s commitment to providing humane custody and quality healthcare in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019.
Nwakuche said his administration had placed special emphasis on the healthcare needs of female inmates, describing them as one of the most vulnerable groups within custodial facilities.
He explained that the Service was prioritising menstrual hygiene management and other gender-specific sanitary needs to preserve the dignity and wellbeing of women in custody.
The Controller-General also disclosed that the Service was intensifying efforts to enrol inmates in the National Health Insurance Scheme to guarantee sustainable access to quality healthcare across custodial centres nationwide.
According to him, while some State governments have already enrolled inmates in their respective State Health Insurance Schemes, discussions were at an advanced stage to achieve nationwide coverage under the National Health Insurance Authority framework.
He noted that the quarterly distribution of essential medicines forms part of broader healthcare reforms aimed at strengthening medical services, reducing the burden of disease, expanding mental health support and improving the rehabilitation and reformation of inmates.
Also speaking, the Assistant Controller-General of Corrections in charge of Medical Services, Glory Essien, described the distribution exercise as a major milestone in the Service’s healthcare reform agenda.
She said the intervention would improve inmates’ health and wellbeing while reducing the incidence of epidemics and other communicable diseases across custodial facilities.
Essien urged caregivers and medical personnel in all Commands to ensure the judicious and accountable use of the drugs strictly for their intended medical purposes in line with professional and ethical standards.
The Assistant Controller-General of Corrections in charge of Pharmacy, Muhammed Bashir, said the Service had established a robust monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure that all medicines distributed were used solely for inmate healthcare.
He explained that the accountability framework would enhance transparency in the management of pharmaceutical supplies and ensure that the drugs reached the intended beneficiaries across custodial centres.
Nwakuche expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support for correctional reforms and commended the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for his continued commitment to improving healthcare delivery and inmate welfare within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to sustaining reforms that protect the health, dignity and mental wellbeing of inmates while advancing its core mandates of safe custody, rehabilitation, reformation and successful reintegration into society.
