Officials of the Okere Custodial Centre, Warri, have rejected claims of neglect after an inmate, identified only as David, reportedly died from complications linked to HIV.
Deputy Comptroller of Prisons, Richard Egbede, who confirmed the incident on Sunday in Warri, said the inmate consistently refused to take his prescribed medication despite repeated counselling.
“We’ve been giving him the drugs all the time, but he would just keep them without taking them,” Egbede said.
He explained that David’s health began to fail about a month ago, leading to his admission at the Central Hospital, Warri, where he was treated for three days before being discharged.
According to Egbede, prison staff and medical officers made several efforts to convince him to stick to his antiretroviral therapy, but the inmate allegedly refused.
Two weeks before his death, David developed a mild fever and was placed on a drip inside the custodial centre. Egbede said his fellow inmates gave him support throughout the period.
“At about 2:00 a.m., his condition got worse, and by morning he was rushed back to the hospital. Doctors placed him on oxygen, but sadly, before test results could be released, he passed away,” Egbede stated.
He dismissed social media reports accusing the facility of negligence.
“To the best of my knowledge, if he were alive today, he would testify that we took care of him,” he added.
The Nigerian Correctional Service has not issued a formal statement beyond Egbede’s confirmation.
