Concerns are mounting over the health of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where he is reportedly being held in proximity to inmates undergoing treatment for tuberculosis (TB).
Sowore was remanded to Kuje on June 22, 2026, by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, pending the determination of his bail application.
Citing prison sources, SaharaReporters reported that Sowore is being held in a cell alongside inmates suffering from tuberculosis — one of whom reportedly died recently, while another is said to be battling spinal tuberculosis. “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 the outlet, adding that exposing detainees to such conditions raises serious health concerns and calling for proper medical screening and access to adequate healthcare for all inmates.
The facility has separately disclosed that at least 37 inmates diagnosed with TB as of December 2025 remain under treatment, underscoring the scale of the disease burden inside Kuje even as questions persist over how affected inmates are managed.
The development follows the deaths of two inmates within days of each other. A Rwandan national, Benjamin Relass, died in custody on June 16, 2026, following what sources described as medical neglect. Days later, another inmate, Sulieman Ajari, died at Gwagwalada Hospital in Abuja after his condition reportedly worsened amid delays in accessing urgent treatment he could not afford. Prison sources said 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 to seriously ill inmates, alleging that access to specialist treatment often hinges 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 Kuje to investigate the circumstances surrounding Relass’s death. Sources within the facility alleged that preliminary findings pointed to negligence on the part of the prison’s medical officer, Dr. Abraham Ezigbe, who reportedly told investigators that Relass had never visited the prison clinic — a claim sources said was contradicted by hospital records showing the deceased had an established medical history at the facility.
The officer in charge of the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Rasheed Ogundare, has disputed the broader account of healthcare conditions at the facility. He told SaharaReporters that most inmates are registered with the National Identification Number (NIN) and enrolled in a health insurance scheme, and that inmates whose conditions cannot be managed at the centre’s clinic are referred, in liaison with the healthcare provider, for transfer to hospital. Ogundare also rejected claims that multiple TB-positive inmates were being housed with other detainees, saying the affected inmate had been isolated for treatment. “The inmate with TB was placed in isolation for treatment. The only person with TB is recovering,” he said.
Tuberculosis remains a major public health concern in correctional facilities worldwide, where overcrowding, poor ventilation, delayed diagnosis and uneven access to treatment heighten the risk of transmission among inmates. If confirmed, Sowore’s reported placement among TB-affected inmates — coming so soon after two custodial deaths — would raise fresh concerns about inmate welfare, prison healthcare standards, and the management of communicable disease within Nigeria’s correctional system.
Bail ruling deferred
Sowore remains in custody in the case brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) over remarks describing President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.” Justice Umar had revoked his bail and fixed June 24 for a ruling on his application for its restoration, but adjourned the ruling to June 30, 2026.
At 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 determination of the application, arguing that Sowore had consistently attended court and had never absconded. Justice Umar declined the request, stating he required more time to consider the affidavits and other processes before the court, and ordered that Sowore remain in custody pending the ruling.
The decision has drawn criticism from Sowore’s supporters and several civil society and human rights groups, who argue that his consistent compliance with court proceedings did not warrant remand while his application remains pending.
Source: SaharaReporters
