31,963 Minor Offenders Served Sentences Through Non-Custodial Measures — NCoS

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has disclosed that from inception 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 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 especially 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.