The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has said that the Binance executive in its custody was “safe and healthy.”

Spokesperson of the NCoS, Umar Abubakar, said this on Thursday, July 4, at the media briefing by the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee (STIPC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Abuja.

The family of Tigran Gambaryan, the head of crypto exchange, had recently told the Federal High Court Abuja, that his health is deteriorating in jail.

Gambaryan had been detained in Kuje prison, Abuja, for tax evasion and money laundering.

But the NCoS spokesperson said Gambaryan “is not under any serious health condition” contrary to what was said at the court and reported in some sections of the media.

He said: “I want to say that our responsibility is unique as a security agency because we keep those who conflict with the law.

“We don’t just dwell only on their information and rehabilitation, but we have a robust health care system that is evidence to all. If you check the morbidity rates and the mortality rates in our custodial centres, I would say it’s 0.1 percent.

“In 2020, during COVID-19, we recorded 0% of COVID patients in our custodial centres. So if any inmate falls ill within our custodial center, we have qualified medical personnel to attend to them.

“And just like other open hospitals, where we felt that the condition could not be managed within our facility, they referred them to an appropriate hospital where they will continue their treatment.

“So for the Binance executive, he is not under any serious health condition. He is fine with us, and he will continue to be fine with us.”