COVID-19: NCS assures staff, inmates of safety

The Nigeria Correctional Services (NCS), Ebonyi Command, has assured its staff and inmates at the Abakaliki and Afikpo custodial centres, of enhanced safety amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) scourge.
Mrs Emilia Oputa, the  Controller, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Thursday.
Oputa said that the authorities at the Abakaliki and Afikpo correctional centres had begun enforcement of restriction of movement into the two facilities in line with the Federal Government’s directives.
She said that she had embarked on sensitisation visits to raise awareness among staff and inmates on the new virus and the need for them to imbibe best safety precautions.
“We are committed to enhancing the safety of our staff and the inmates we are taking care of at the Abakaliki and Afikpo custodial centres.
“I undertook a sensitisation tour to the two facilities on Wednesday and Thursday, and part of the reasons was to find out if they are aware of the new disease.
“I also wanted to sensitise them on how to stay safe by imbibing good personal and environmental hygiene.
“We have suspended indefinitely all forms of visits to inmates, including visitations by families, friends, churches and other organisations in line with government directives.
“We have provided running water; hand sanitisers and other disinfectants at the entrance of the facilities’ gates and regular washing of hands are enforced.
“We have provided our staff with nose masks and hand gloves, though this is not enough.
“We have also opened up the soak-away pit and disinfected them to enhance good hygiene.
“We have stopped receiving new inmates to guide against possible outbreak of the COVID-19 in the yard,” Oputa said.
She explained that Abakaliki custodial centre built to accommodate 387 inmates was currently housing over 1000 inmates.