31 Inmates Apply For Parole, 3 Await FG’s Approval As Edo Board Chairman Tasks CSOs, Media On Enlightenment

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BENIN – Three inmates at the Benin Correctional Centre are awaiting final approval from the parole board in Abuja after emerging successful from a screening exercise conducted by the Edo State Parole Board.

Chairman of the Edo State Parole Board, retired Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Erauga, disclosed this during a one-day sensitisation workshop on non-custodial measures organised by Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) in partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service and supported by RoLAC.

Justice Edodo-Erauga revealed that 31 inmates applied for parole, but only three met the eligibility requirements after a comprehensive assessment.

According to her, several applications were rejected because the inmates were convicted outside the jurisdiction of the Edo State Parole Board, particularly in Delta State, while others failed to satisfy the prescribed parole guidelines.

She explained that parole decisions are based on factors including the nature of the offence, the inmate’s conduct while in custody, the circumstances surrounding the crime and the likelihood of successful reintegration into society.

She added that inmates at the Oko Correctional Centre are also undergoing screening for possible parole.

The parole board chairman urged civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media to intensify public enlightenment on the benefits of non-custodial measures.

She also appealed to them to help combat the stigma against former inmates who have completed their sentences and are being reintegrated into society.

Representing the Controller of Corrections, Edo State Command, DCC Ogbue Paul Agiliga, said the initiative would help decongest correctional centres, promote rehabilitation and increase public awareness of non-custodial measures.

Also speaking, the officer in charge of the Non-Custodial Unit, Igbenijie Akhigbe, identified inadequate manpower, poor logistics and insufficient funding as key challenges affecting the effective implementation of non-custodial measures.

Earlier, PRAWA President, Dr. Uju Agomoh, represented by Programme Assistant Abraham Naibo, said the workshop was designed to deepen awareness of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, promote non-custodial measures, support ongoing justice sector reforms and encourage the successful reintegration of offenders into society.