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….experts call for urgent reforms, better funding, and decentralisation of psychiatric services
Nigeria’s correctional centres are facing a deepening mental health emergency, with 8,246 inmates currently battling psychological disorders, a situation worsened by chronic understaffing, poor funding, and inadequate facilities.
The figure, disclosed at the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), exposes a largely overlooked health crisis behind prison walls.
Assistant Controller General of Corrections (Medical Services), Dr. Glory Essien, told the panel in Abuja on Tuesday that the loss of freedom alone can trigger psychological distress.
“From the moment the gate locks behind them, something changes. Some inmates begin to show disturbed behaviour almost immediately,” she said.
With one medical professional often responsible for hundreds of inmates, early detection of mental illness now relies heavily on trained inmate-leaders who alert staff to concerning behaviour.
But the system is overstretched. “Mental illness is chronic; it’s not like malaria you treat and it’s gone,” Essien said, noting persistent drug shortages, transportation issues, and a severe lack of psychiatrists.
Assistant Controller General (Pharmaceutical Services), Mohammed Bashir, revealed that mental health drugs often run out within weeks due to limited budgets. While the Federal Government allocates funds for prison healthcare, “the money is not enough,” he said.
He added that partnerships exist with psychiatric associations, allowing consultants to visit 12 large custodial centres — but these services do not reach most facilities across the country’s 256 prisons.
Geographical inequality in care
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, warned that psychiatric expertise remains concentrated in Abuja and Lagos, leaving many states with no specialist support.
“We need professionals to go into the field. If we even put two in each state, it will help,” she said, urging the Nigerian Medical Association and pharmaceutical companies to assist.
Ajani called for public-private partnerships (PPP) to supply medication, citing the potential for companies to donate psychiatric drugs as part of corporate social responsibility.
Beyond mental health: basic needs at risk
The crisis is not limited to psychiatric care. Bashir revealed that sanitary pads for the 2.3 percent of inmates who are women cost the service over N4 million monthly — another strain on the already thin budget.
A call for systemic reform
Experts at the panel agreed that without increased funding, decentralisation of mental health services, and stronger collaboration with private and non-profit actors, the situation could worsen, both for inmates and the prison system at large.
Ajani’s closing words underscored the urgency: “Do it now. Build a bridge and empower younger people to sustain it. Don’t sit in the office and forget our primary responsibility.”
The revelations raise wider questions about how Nigeria treats mental illness — and whether prisoners, many awaiting trial, can ever hope for rehabilitation without access to consistent, quality mental healthcare.
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