Edo Govt, Correctional Service Unite to Empower Inmates, Drive Rehabilitation, Reintegration

By Rosemary Okoduwa

The Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has commenced plans to establish a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to strengthen the rehabilitation, empowerment and reintegration of inmates, with particular focus on women, vulnerable youths and juveniles in conflict with the law.

The proposed partnership was discussed when the Controller of Corrections, Edo State Command, CCS Julius Osemwegie, led a delegation on an official visit to the Ministry in Benin City, where both institutions explored areas of collaboration in vocational training, education, sports, recreation, social welfare and non-custodial services.

Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Joy Ihensekhien, described the visit as timely, stressing that the mandates of both institutions were closely aligned in promoting rehabilitation, welfare and the restoration of vulnerable persons to productive lives.

Hon. Abdallah said the Ministry was particularly interested in interventions targeting female inmates, vulnerable youths and juveniles, assuring the Correctional Service of the Ministry’s readiness to develop practical and sustainable programmes. She proposed the use of the Ministry’s existing skill acquisition centres to provide inmates with vocational and entrepreneurial skills that would enhance self-reliance and successful reintegration after release.

The Commissioner also said the Ministry would collaborate with the NCoS to obtain relevant data on inmates and determine how its existing programmes could be extended to custodial centres at White House, Sapele Road, Benin City, and Auchi. She further expressed readiness to strengthen interventions at the Children Correctional Centre through education, sports, recreation and other programmes that promote the positive development of juveniles.

Earlier, the Controller of Corrections, CCS Julius Osemwegie, said the visit was aimed at building a sustainable institutional relationship between the NCoS and the Ministry, noting that collaboration was essential to achieving effective reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration. He highlighted the growing importance of non-custodial measures, including community service and suspended sentences, particularly for first-time offenders, as a way of reducing unnecessary custodial congestion.

Osemwegie also solicited the Ministry’s support for female inmates through vocational and educational training, recreational activities and welfare interventions capable of improving their wellbeing and preparing them for productive lives after release. He emphasised the need to institutionalise the proposed partnership to ensure continuity beyond changes in leadership and individual tenures.

The meeting also recalled an earlier engagement between the two institutions concerning support for the juvenile correctional facility, with the Commissioner noting the significance of the relationship, particularly given the Controller’s previous academic research at the state’s juvenile facility during his doctoral studies. Both institutions agreed to commence follow-up technical engagements to identify priority areas, assess inmate needs and population, and develop a clear implementation framework with timelines, aimed at building a stronger and more sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration system in Edo State.