Accept ex-offenders as changed persons – NCoS boss appeals to public
Mr. Haliru Nababa, the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), has made a plea to all interested parties and members of the public to accept and welcome ex-offenders into society.
Thursday in Abuja was International Prisoners Justice Day, and Nababa made the call during the International Conference on Prisoners Justice.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Aug. 10 is recognized as Prisoners’ Justice Day as a day of international solidarity. This year’s theme is “Enhancing Global Response for Prisoners Justice.”
The campaign was started in Canada in 1974 to defend the rights of prisoners and to honor all those who have passed away unexpectedly while behind bars.
The Deputy Controller General in charge of Finance and Accounts spoke on behalf of Nababa.
According to the NCoS chief, stigmatizing ex-offenders is a problem for modern corrections because it is ineffective and has a tendency to encourage them to return to a life of crime.
“I appeal to all stakeholders, and indeed the public, to open their arms to ex-offenders who have experienced total behavioural change as a result of the reformatory tools they subjected themselves to while in custody,” the speaker added.
Nababa emphasized that the program offers a variety of treatment regimens for offenders based on their unique risks and needs evaluations, in addition to keeping offenders out of circulation.
For those who are capable, he continued, this includes possibilities for educational progress, the learning of a variety of skills for the workplace, contemporary agricultural and farming practices, psychiatric treatments, guidance and counseling, sports and recreation, and religious activities.
The excellent relationship the Service has had with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) since 2012 is noteworthy. Here, hundreds of prisoners have earned multiple academic degrees, including a PhD, without paying any tuition. To name a few, the same is true of Yewa College of Education in Ogun State, he said.
He said: “The after-care scheme of the Service, when resources permit, gives beginning packs to offenders who do vocational skills training so they can start their vocations upon discharge. The reintegration process is thereby made systematically smoother.
