By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The Edo State Parole Board chairman, Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga (rtd), has tasked inmates in the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Benin, on honesty, saying it will help quicken the process of their freedom.
She gave the task during the board’s visit to sensitize them on Parole and the need to key into the programme.
Justice Edodo-Eruaga said that Parole has been on in other clime but it is very new in Nigeria and that, they are the first set of inmates to stand the chance to benefit from it but they must abide by its rules, that is, being of a good behaviour and displaying of a high sense of honesty. “Good behaviour” means the individual has not caused problems while in custody and has learned a trade to enable peaceful community reintegration”.
Edodo-Eruaga while informing them that Parole doesn’t cover heinous crimes like rape, murder, said those inmates on life imprisonment must have served 10 years in the Centre while those sentenced to 21 years must have served one-third of their terms before being qualified to apply for Parole.
The retired Justice pointed out that the essence of Parole is to encourage the decongestion of the Correctional Centres across the country.
Also speaking, Mr. Abraham Naibo, Programme Assistant of the Prisons Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), urged the inmates to capitalize on their stay at the Centre at the moment to learn a trade, pointing out that, it will be wrong for them to appear before the board without a learnt skill.
He said the skill learnt while serving their terms will form the ground they could start their lives from when they are finally reintegrated into the society.
Mr. Naibo further admonished the inmates to always carry the officers of the Correctional Centres along on their day-to-day activities while still on Parole adding that, such will enable them (officers) know how reformed they have been.
For the Controller of Corrections, Edo State, Sunday Oyakhire, represented by the Deputy Controller of Corrections, Ogbue Paul Agiliga, he appealed to the inmates to register for a skill, stressing that, it is going to be an added advantage for them to be qualified for the Parole programme.
