By Ezekiel Dontinna
A research and policy development unit of the Mulapnen Capacity Building Initiative (MUCABI)’s Centre for Criminal justice Justice and Social Inclusion, has advocated for the establishment of a National Inmates Trust Fund to fully and gainfully integrate them into the society.
This came in a press statement signed by the Executive Director of Mulapnen Capacity Building Initiative (MUCABI), Nicodemus Samson Beska, and made available to newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital recently.
The Executive Director, disclosed according to the publication on their official website on April 1, 2024 that, the Nigerian Correctional Services, has released an inmate population of 77,934 and the data showed that, 68% were waiting trial inmates and 32% were convicted.
He added that, out of this inmates population, 98% were male and 2% that formed part of the population were female inmates, and they would eventually be reintegrated back into the society.
Beska, observed that with this horrific figure, rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration of inmates should be a major concern for the government and well meaning Nigerians.
He, however, noted that the absence of material, psychological and social support at the time of their release, offenders might not be able to break the cycle of release and re-arrest if they were left without realignment.
According to the Executive Director, “in an attempt to finding a sustainable support for rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates in Nigeria, we have conducted a search to explore the idea of Inmates Trust Fund and its implication for the Nigerian Correctional Services.
“The policy aims at advocating for the establishment of National Inmates Trust Fund and an Inmate’s Bank for inmates to have personalized account which has the capacity to enhance revenue generation”, he observed.
Beska, further explained that the Inmates’ Trust Fund or Bank would allowed the Nigerian Correctional Service to raise money from the public through investment and fund drive programmes.
Quoting from Rakis 2005, the MUCABI boss noted that a successful crime and conflict prevention strategy must address factors contributing to the large number of crimes that were committed by individuals who have served a term of incarceration and failed upon their release, to integrate the community as law-abiding citizens.
Therefore, he called on the Federal Government to establish a Trust Fund for Nigerian inmates, backed by strong legislation and effective oversight and evaluati
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