Few weeks ago, the news of a pardoned
prison inmate re-arrested for armed robbery caught my attention. The suspect, a
22-year-old, Musa Ojo, was among the inmates pardoned by the Lagos State
Government in pursuant to the Provisions of section 1(i) of the Criminal Justice
Release from custody Special Provision Act, CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria.
It was learnt that a few weeks after his
release, Musa in collaboration with two others snatched a Toyota Corolla Car in
Lagos, which led to his re-arrest.
Sincerely, it is a brilliant idea to pardon
inmates, but it will be superb of the government to engage the inmates in
rehabilitation and meaningful training during their incarceration before being
released into the society. For example, Musa was pardoned without a defined
opportunity for financial stability, which led him back to his dishonest means
of livelihood. In our society, few family and friends will associate with an
ex-convict, not mentioning giving him a job opportunity.
*Musa Ojo
Musa, who goes by the pseudonym Agba Musa during
his grilling, said that “after leaving prison, I started receiving calls from
people that they needed vehicles and I was short of money, so I thought to
myself that if I could steal just one car, I would be alright. I did not know
that the police had been on my trail from the day I was released (pardoned)”.
Obviously, Musa went back to his old ways because he had nothing else to do.
The government should give special
consideration to inmates pending their release/pardon. The consideration which
I believe must start with effective counseling to skill acquisition training. Most prisoners do condemn themselves. The
government needs to engage the services of a vibrant counselor who can motivate
and encourage them to believe that they can still be useful to themselves and
the society at large.
Likewise, the government, prior to release,
should engage the inmates in skill acquisition training to become a Barber/Hairdresser,
Fashion Designer, etc. There are lots of
youths who have delved into small scale business due to the fact that they
could not secure jobs. The government could sign up the young ones in this
field to train and certify the inmates before they are released in the society.
Also the government should make it compulsory that certification in any of the
training will serve as one of the major criteria for their release. The inmates
will embrace it and the society will gain and pay for their expertise.
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