Fresh facts have shown that the Bola Tinubu-led presidency backed the detention of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a highly infectious cell block at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja.
Top sources informed SaharaReporters on Saturday that the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche, and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, received commendations from President Tinubu’s office on Sowore’s detention with the infected inmates.
According to the sources, officials within the presidency praised the security chiefs for “doing the needful” by keeping the vocal activist in Custody Block 4 — a section of the facility heavily populated by inmates battling active tuberculosis(TB) infections.
“Two of the TB patients have died and a third is battling with his life while 37 others are undergoing treatment in the last three months but several of them have stopped treatment since Sowore came to the Kuje correctional centre,” one of the sources revealed.
“They are starved of medicine by the order of the prison authorities in Abuja in connivance with the DG DSS and the Controller-General of prison whose tenure had already expired.
“The inmates could be heard coughing all night in the crowded prison block where the sewage had also been left overflowing since Sowore arrived,” another top source revealed.
SaharaReporters had on Friday reported that Sowore came under fresh health concerns following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where reports indicate he was being held under conditions that had drawn renewed attention to healthcare and disease management within the facility.
Sowore was remanded to the Kuje Correctional Centre on June 22, 2026, by the Federal High Court in Abuja following proceedings before Justice Mohammed Umar, pending the hearing of his bail application.
The concerns come as Kuje Correctional Centre has faced increasing scrutiny over the treatment of sick inmates.
SaharaReporters learnt that at least 37 inmates who were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) as of December 2025 are still undergoing treatment.
“Kuje Prison has recently faced scrutiny over the treatment of sick inmates. Meanwhile, 37 inmates diagnosed with TB as at December 2025 still under treatment,” a source had said.
On Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that Sowore was being held in a cell alongside inmates suffering from tuberculosis, prompting fresh fears about his health and raising broader concerns over medical care in Nigeria’s correctional centres.
The report follows recent allegations of inadequate healthcare at the prison after two inmates reportedly died within days of each other.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that a foreign inmate identified as Benjamin Relass died in custody on June 16, 2026, following alleged medical neglect, sparking concerns over access to healthcare at the facility.
Another inmate, identified as Sulieman Ajari, reportedly died days later under circumstances that also raised questions about the adequacy and timeliness of medical treatment available to inmates.
If confirmed, Sowore’s reported placement in a cell housing inmates with tuberculosis, particularly in the wake of recent inmate deaths, would raise serious concerns about inmate welfare, prison healthcare standards, and the management of communicable diseases within correctional facilities.
Tuberculosis remains a major public health concern in prisons worldwide due to overcrowding, poor ventilation, delayed diagnosis, and inadequate access to treatment, all of which increase the risk of transmission among inmates.
Prison sources earlier told SaharaReporters that Sowore was being held in a cell with inmates diagnosed with tuberculosis, with one of the affected prisoners having reportedly died recently and another battling spinal tuberculosis.
The development has intensified concerns over healthcare conditions at the Kuje Correctional Centre following recent reports of inmate deaths allegedly linked to delayed access to medical treatment.
“Sowore has been confined in a Kuje Prison cell alongside inmates suffering from tuberculosis. One of the affected prisoners died only last Saturday,” a prison source told SaharaReporters.
The source added that exposing detainees to such conditions raises serious health concerns and called for proper medical screening and access to adequate healthcare for all inmates.
The latest concerns come shortly after SaharaReporters reported the death of an inmate, Sulieman Ajari, at Gwagwalada Hospital in Abuja.
Sources familiar with the incident said Ajari’s condition worsened after delays in receiving urgent medical treatment because he could not afford the cost of care.
His death reportedly occurred barely a week after another inmate, a Rwandan national identified as Benjamin Relass, died in custody on June 16, 2026.
According to prison sources, Ajari was rushed to hospital shortly after Relass’s death but later died because funding for his treatment was unavailable.
A prison source accused the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) of failing to provide timely medical care for seriously ill inmates, alleging that access to specialist treatment often depends on whether relatives or well-wishers can pay for it.
“It is so saddening that the man who was rushed to the hospital after the Rwandan man’s death has also died due to lack of funding. Inmates are usually not taken out for special treatment until their sickness becomes very severe,” the source said.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that an Assistant Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service visited the Kuje Correctional Centre to investigate the circumstances surrounding Relass’ death.
Sources within the facility alleged that preliminary findings pointed to negligence by the prison’s medical officer, Dr. Abraham Ezigbe. According to the sources, although the doctor reportedly told investigators that Relass had never visited the prison clinic, hospital records allegedly showed that the deceased had an established medical history at the facility.
However, the officer in charge of the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Rasheed Ogundare, dismissed concerns over inmates’ access to healthcare. He told SaharaReporters that most inmates have been registered with the National Identification Number (NIN) and enrolled in a health insurance scheme.
According to him, whenever an inmate’s medical condition cannot be adequately managed at the custodial centre’s clinic, the correctional authorities liaise with the healthcare provider to facilitate the inmate’s transfer to a hospital for treatment.
Ogundare also denied reports suggesting that multiple inmates with tuberculosis were being housed with other detainees. He said the inmate diagnosed with tuberculosis had been isolated for treatment and was recovering.
“The inmate with TB was placed in isolation for treatment. The only person with TB is recovering,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sowore remains in custody after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, revoked his bail in the case filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) over comments in which he described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”
Although the court had fixed June 24 for a ruling on Sowore’s application for bail restoration, Justice Umar adjourned the ruling until June 30, 2026.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, Sowore’s counsel, R.O. Adakole, appearing for lead counsel Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), urged the court to release the activist into the custody of his legal team pending the determination of the application, arguing that Sowore had consistently attended court and had never absconded.
However, Justice Umar declined the request, stating that he needed more time to consider the affidavits and other processes before the court, and ordered that Sowore remain in custody pending the ruling on his bail application.
The decision has attracted criticism from Sowore’s supporters and several civil society and human rights groups, who argue that he has consistently complied with court proceedings and should not have been remanded while awaiting the determination of his application.
(SaharaReporters)