The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has urged the South East state governments, to assist in the renovation of the only juvenile reformation home in the Eastern region built by colonialists 93 years ago.
By Reporters
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has urged the South East state governments, to assist in the renovation of the only juvenile reformation home in the Eastern region built by colonialists 93 years ago.
The NCoS and other stakeholders made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while reacting to a survey on the state of remand homes for children in the country.
The stakeholders also called for the establishment of more juvenile rehab to admit troublesome juveniles who posed problems to their parents and society for reformation, after their warrants must have been perfected by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ongoing renovation of the home located at Ngwo in Enugu State known as the Borstal Training Institute, (BTI), Ngwo, was founded in 1932 by the colonial rule and was fully functional till Nigeria Civil War in 1966.
NAN reports that the institute was established for the reformation of juvenile offenders in the old Eastern Region comprising the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
Mrs Prisca Oku, the new Zonal Coordinator of NCoS, Zone M, Enugu, told NAN in Enugu that the service needed support to complete number of structures – hostels, classrooms, workshops and others before its re-launch.
Oku, an Assistant Controller General (ACG), who supervises NCoS Commands in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, said that the structures were at various stages of between 75 per cent and 90 per cent completion.
“The complex has enough land for expansion for other reformative services and daily training and reorientation in the future and needed a water tanker to provide water, which is the basic challenge of the complex,” she said.
According to her, it is an aberration for a juvenile sentenced in Enugu to be taken to Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ilorin rehabilitation centers while we can resuscitate a facility that can serve the South-East and by extension South-South.
“We have only one within the eastern region, which is the one the NCoS is doing everything possible to renovate and resuscitate. It was set up by the colonial masters in 1932.
“For now, work is in progress in the complex through the NCoS and we appreciate NGOs that have come to contribute and facilitate the renovation and they have quite helped the service,” she said.
Oku said that the correctional service had deployed staff, including the Principal of the institution, who is a Controller of Corrections, about 25 NCoS correctional staff and 16 NCoS armed squad members on ground for the take-off.
“The NCoS is still appealing to state governments in the South-East, NGOs, corporate bodies and philanthropists to assist us get the place functional for teaching and reformation of misguided children,” she said.
The ACG said that when the place became operational, all educational, vocational trainings and other standard procedures and processes including after care and follow care as enshrined in the NCoS Act would be carried out in the institution.
On issue of juvenile inmates, Oku said that after directive from the headquarters, she met the Chief Judge of Enugu State to direct courts to stop sending juveniles to custodial centres.
“I urged him to impress it on the governor, being a lawyer, to see the need to assist NCoS finish the complex in due time and we are also writing other state governors within NCoS Zone M and South-East,” she said.
Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, the Executive Director of Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation, called for more remand homes to take care of the teeming number of juvenile involved in crime.
Nwachukwu, who is a certified mental health counsellor, said that the state of the already existing three reformatory homes/institutions in the country remained deplorable.
The cleric noted that the much promised reform did not get to the children in Abeokuta (South-West), Ilorin (North Central) and Kaduna (North-West) homes as attested by a recent UNICEF report.
The executive director urged the government and NCoS officials to emulate best practices in other countries where their juvenile remand homes were working well.
“When monies are budgeted or special provisions are made to the special homes or institutions; they should be utilised fully to put the misguided children back to track as stipulated by the Child Rights Act and NCoS Act,” he said.
The Anambra Government, in its contributions, said that serious plans were underway to establish a remand home in the state.
Mrs Ify Obinabo, Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Welfare in Anambra told NAN that the government of Prof Charles Soludo was making moves to create a functional remand home in the state.
The Commissioner said that the ministry would do its best to ensure that remand homes for children where proper attention will be offered would be in place.
Mrs Grace Anagor, a retired civil servant, said that the state government was yet to have a remand facility in the state.
Anagor said that a remand home was part of social services unit missing in the state which had left the public in need of such centre wondering.
“If government considers the remand home important, it will be provided, like we have prisons in the three senatorial zones of the state,”.
“The public who have the need for such centres have their challenges at home without attention of expert who can regulate meaningful activities for children with health challenges.
Mrs Regina Okafor, a social worker, said that remand centres were yet to be operational in the state and hoped that the current state administration considered it a top need.
Mrs Eucharia Anekwe, State Coordinator, Child Protection Network (CPN), said that efforts had been made towards establishing a remand centre in Anambra for years and that had yet to yield results.
Anekwe said that the major set back was the challenges of acquiring land for the centre in an urban area.
She said that a parcel of land was seen at Umunze ,Orumba South Local Government Area during Gov.Willie Obiano administration but the process was not concluded before he left office.
She said that another challenge was insecurity that abound in rural areas which forestalled the plan to establish the centre at Umunze community.
“We pray that the current administration will review the process and accelerate the process of making the centre as reality in the future,” the coordinator said.
In Ebonyi, the Remand Home at Ugwuachara, Abakaliki, has continued to operate in spite of challenges ranging from dilapidated facilities, poor funding and inadequate follow-up of children after release.
A visit to the centre by NAN in Abakaliki revealed that although the home still accommodated young offenders, questions remained over its effectiveness in reforming the inmates and preparing them for reintegration into society.
Mrs Nnenna Okorie, a social welfare officer attached to the centre, said that while efforts were made to rehabilitate the children, resources remained grossly inadequate.
“We try to engage them in moral instruction, basic education and a few vocational skills, but the facilities are not enough.
“Most times, we rely on Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and good-spirited individuals for support,” she said.
Mr Chibuzo Nworie, a parent whose son passed through the home, commended the staff for their efforts but lamented the lack of structured follow-up after release.
“My son came out better disciplined, but there was no programme to monitor him afterwards.
“Many children relapse into crime because they lack guidance once they leave,” Nworie said.
Another respondent and a psychologist, Dr Ifeoma Nweze, stressed the importance of psychosocial support in rehabilitation.
She noted that many of the children suffered from trauma and neglect.
“Without proper counselling and therapy, it will be difficult to change behaviour.
“Rehabilitation is not just about keeping them away from crime, but also addressing the root causes of their behaviour,” she said.
Also speaking, a sociologist from Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Dr Chris Elom, said that remand homes should be restructured into centres of learning and skill acquisition.
“If children are trained in trades such as tailoring, carpentry, computer literacy and other skills, they stand a better chance of reintegrating successfully into society,” Elom said.
On his part, Mr. Uchenna Ogbaga, a civil society advocate, called for stronger government commitment.
“The Abakaliki Remand Home is functional, but only in name.
“Government must invest in proper facilities, trained staff and follow-up systems to ensure that children who pass through here are truly reformed,” he said.
Meanwhile, NAN observed that the home has some classrooms and workshops, but many of them are poorly equipped, limiting the scope of training available to the children.
The stakeholders however, insisted that with the right support, the home could become a centre of excellence in juvenile rehabilitation.
The Ebonyi Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, says it has a functional remand home for children alleged in conflict with the law.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner, Mrs Felicia Nwamkpuma, told NAN that about 17 children were currently occupying the centre.
Nwamkpuma disclosed that children who engaged in crimes and ‘missing but found’ children are two categories of juvenile in the institution.
She described remand home as a centre where children who were alleged to be in conflict with the law were kept.
According to her, Gov Francis Nwifuru had completed a new facility for custody of the children and equipped a skill acquisition centre at the premises to engage them.
The commissioner added that the project also involved complete overhaul of existing structure, currently housing few “missing but found” children.
“The ministry has no transit camp for the missing and found children but they are kept differently while the other category in another and more restricted to movement.
“And they are kept there pending when their families are traced and then reunite them. They are not supposed to be kept there but as our mandate is to protect vulnerable children, we keep them for safety.
“The missing but found’ children are handed over to us by the police or good samaritans while the juvenile offenders are admitted through judiciary order,” Nwamkpuma said.
Nwankpuma further stated that the state government had approved a running cost for the children’s feeding and other comprehensive care for all the children at the facility on monthly basis.
She said that some non governmental organisations, FIDA, female coordinators and churches made donations of food items, clothing, insecticide mosquito treated nets among others to the home.
The commissioner disclosed that the ministry were collaborating with parents and family members of the juvenile offenders to monitor them when released.
“Positive change and impact is expected after their three or six months stay at the home.
“We train and reform them to become better persons in the society,”.
The commissioner appealed to parents to step up in their responsibilities as children were going astray.
She called on non governmental organisations, churches and other concerned group to assist in instilling moral values in children.
In his remarks, the Head of Department, Child Development in the ministry, Mr Emmanuel Nkwuda, described the centre as a training ground for children of such circumstance and found to be curlpable.
Nkwuda added that the children got reformed for better and the ministry was duty bound to engage them with skills, counseling services to change them.
“We have been getting testimonies of these children who are now overseas and also important figure in the society,” Nkwuda said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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