Abuja: Our REPORTER
Published, Tuesday, January 3, 2022
THE NIGERIAN CORRECTIONAL SERVICE (NCoS)
has disclosed that from inception in 2019 to date about 31,963 minor offenders
have served their sentences through non-custodial measures.
Spokesperson of NCoS, Mr
Francis Enobore, who made this known on Monday in Abuja, said this has helped
to reduce inmates’ population in custodial centres in the country.
He noted that while the
phenomenal challenge of the preponderance of pre-trial detainees over convicts
persists, the Service would continue to seek available avenues through some
provisions of the NCoS Act, 2019 to mitigate its negative effect in the
administration of Custodial Centres.
“Of significant recognition is the activation of the Non-Custodial Measures
which has since 2019 appreciably reduced influx of persons into Custodial
Centres.
“From inception to date about 31,963 minor offenders have served
their sentences through non-custodial measures thus reducing inmates’
population by that number,” he said.
Enobore said the Service has uniquely combined formal education
and vocational skills acquisition to reform inmates, saying this has continued
to yield outstanding results.
He said: “At the moment, the National Open University of Nigeria
(NOUN) has 12 Special Study Centres in locations across the country with 2 more
to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2022. A total of 970 inmates are
currently studying various courses at diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate with
5 at PhD levels.
“In terms of vocational skills acquisition for inmates, a lot of
workshops across different Custodial Centres in the country have remained
functional, producing scores of artisans.
“This is further strengthened by the Service’s After-Care Scheme
that helps settle inmates after discharge.
“Just recently, an ex-inmate of Billiri Custodial Centre in
Gombe State has so far trained over 134 youths in his community with designing
and knitting skills he learnt while in custody. Some of the trainees are now
self-employed and many others currently serving under him as apprentices.
“I, therefore, implore you as gatekeepers of the society, to
help sensitize members of the public to accept ex-offenders who have been
reformed as responsible brothers and sisters. Incarceration does not in any
way, signpost total damnation.
“That is why we have had two inmates emerging as best graduating
students of NOUN in 2014 and 2018 respectively.
“In 2021, an inmate in Kuje Custodial Centre graduated with a
Second Class Upper Division (2:1) in Criminology. With the premium attention given to inmates’ welfare, care and support, access
to basic healthcare and psycho-social services, tension and restiveness has
drastically reduced among inmates across our commands and the CGC is
irrevocably committed to this course,” Enobore said.
He noted that another intervention was the Virtual courtroom
system introduced to Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Kuje, by the
Federal Ministry of Justice to enhance speedy trial of suspects in custody.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating great
concern for the Service hence liberating it from the pain of so many years of
neglect through gracious budgetary allocations and promises to do more.
Meanwhile, the Service has said that the attention of its management
has been drawn to a publication in an online newspaper, alleging that an
inmate, John Haruna, serving a term in the Medium Security Custodial Centre,
Kuje is on vacation outside the country.
Enobore said this information was fake and has no iota of truth,
recalling that clarifications on the alleged disappearance of the inmate were
made a couple of months ago when the same news platform raised the issue and
the public was reassured that John Haruna was in safe custody.
“The situation has not changed as the inmate in question is
still in the facility where he is being held, safe and healthy.
“The author of the fake news is only displaying his unpatriotic and diabolical
disposition towards the country by generating baseless news to discredit the
Correctional Service without a just course,” he said
No comments:
Post a Comment