By Roland Ike
Chinedu Ogah, Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institutions has reinstated the commitment of the House to reforming Correctional Centres across the country.
Ogah gave the assurance when the House Committee on Reformatory Institutions inspected correctional centres in Ebonyi State in continuation of a national tour to reposition the centres.
He decried the poor condition of inmates in Ebonyi State correctional centres, after the committee members inspected the centres in Abakaliki and Afikpo areas of state.
The Committee also inspected an ongoing 1,200 capacity correctional centre embarked upon by the Ebonyi Government.
Ogah decried the deplorable state of affairs in the centres in Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large, restating the House of Representatives’ commitment to reforming the facilities.
He commended the Ebonyi State Government’s support and sought for more collaboration between the stakeholders to a crime free society.
The lawmaker said that the committee was working assiduously to ensure proper implementation of the Nigerian Correctional Services Act 2019, to ensure that the objectives of Nigerian Correctional Services were actualised.
“We are working hard to rebuild the centres in general, including toward decongestion at the various correctional centres.
“The most important thing is reform, reintegrate the inmates and bring them back into the society, so they cannot indulge in crime.”
While welcoming the team, Mrs Vera Ogwude, Controller of Correctional Service, Ebonyi State Command, expressed gratitude to the team for the visit and expressed worries over the congestion of the centres in the state.
“The capacity of Abakaliki correctional centre is 387 inmates, but regrettably, the place is housing 1,202 inmates,” she lamented.
