The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has revealed reasons why most inmates don’t like returning home after serving jail terms, attributing it to personal gains and society hostility.
According to NCoS, the set of individuals, the society that is supposed to give them a second chance reject them by not patronizing the various trades or skills they have acquired while custody.
Addressing top management staff of the Blueprint Newspapers during a courtesy visit to the Corporate Headquarters of the organization, Wednesday in Abuja, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, CSC Jane Osuji, also cautioned Nigerians from habitat of communiting with inmates on phone, adding that such act is punishable under the law to the tune of either three million Naira or three years in prison, or both.
The new Service PRO was on familiarization visit to Blueprint Newspapers to ask for support in propagation of the Service activities and to properly educate Nigerians on what constitute offenses while dealing with inmates in their custody.
According to NCoS National spokesperson, it is not your fault that an inmate calls you, but once an inmate calls you, it behoves on you to report to the Nigerian Correctional Service or to the security agency to stop a repeat of such call.
“Such act must be reported because he who gives a bribe and he who receives are all both guilty of the same offense. But in any case, it is to secure the individual outside, because these inmates might not be calling with the correct information, with the correct intention for you that is receiving and for the society.”
The NCoS spokesperson explained further that such act is punishable with a fine of either three million Naira or a jail term of three years or both.
“That an individual in custody is communicating with you illegally, and you condone it, you encourage it, you aid it, or you abate it is a crime and you are liable to either three million fine or a jail term of three years, or both.
“My message is this, in the Nigerian Correctional Act 2019, specifically in section 29, subsection 123, it is stated there categorically that there is something we call crime against correctional security, and that is illegal communication with inmates in custody. It is a crime under the act.”
Speaking on reasons some inmate prefer to stay back in custody after their jail terms, Osuji said there are inmates in various custodial centres that are entrepreneurial enough to take care of their children, send them to school, build houses for their families out there.
“From our experiences, it is all about rejection by the society. What we have realized over time is most inmates having gone through the reformatory programme in our custodial center and they’ve started earning, going through our earning scheme while inside the custodial center, when they go out, the set of individuals, the society that is supposed to give them a second chance rejects them by not patronizing the various trades or skills they have acquired while custody.
“So, most of them end up not having any source of livelihood. Remember, these are individuals that hitherto didn’t have any source of livelihood, found themselves, fortunately or unfortunately, behind custodial center, learned one trade or another, began to earn through these trades, now finding themselves in the society where they are not accepted, they are not patronized, and of course, they cannot feed themselves. So they rather stay back in custodial centers.”
The NCoS PRO added that many inmates, especially with minor or small offenses fall into this category.
“When it is time for them to leave, they will tell you they don’t want to go. It’s unbelievable, but it’s the reality. They don’t want to go because they rather stay behind in custodial center where they are not forced by the society to go back to crime and where they can be sure of their safety, they can be sure of their livelihood, and you’ll be surprised, some of the money they earn through these skills in custodial centers, they use it in taking care of their families outside.”
While responding to the call for partnership with the Blueprint Newspapers, the Chairman of the Editorial Board of Blueprint Newspapers,Hajia Zainab Suleiman Okino, in company of other top editors and senior management staff, urged the Service to continue to live up to expectation by ensuring that inmates in their custody are properly reformed as enshrined in its Act.
Hajia Okino reminded the visitors that as a media organization society expects Blueprint Newspapers to hold government and it’s agencies accountable in a responsible way, the role, she added Blueprint will continue to perform.
She said: “Just like you are accountable to Nigerians, we are also accountable to Nigerians as a media organization. So, any day you see a report that is not palliative, don’t feel bad, you should know that we are also accountable to the nation as well.”