‘Anybody can find himself in prison’

Awesu

Recently, forty-two staff and students of the Stephens Centre International Group of Schools visited the Old Abeokuta Prison, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria on an excursion and they were welcomed by one of the prison’s social welfare officers, ASP Abdulhakeem Awesu.

Addressing them, he said he’s always delighted to see young people visiting the prison not as prisoners but to learn as many people don’t know prisons exist while many know of their existence but not how they operate.

He explained that a prison is an institution owned by the government to keep people alleged to have committed a crime so not everyone in prison is a criminal but might just be alleged and if there’s no proof found against such a person, he-she will be allowed to go whilst the guilty will be sentenced so anyone can find himself in prison so it’s best to pray against that eventuality.

He further educated them that prisons are meant for punishment (of people guilty of crimes); retribution (that instead of retaliating - revenging - against someone who offends you, report the person to the government so the government can punish - avenge - him on your behalf); deterrence (to deter people from committing offences because they know they will be punished); and protection of the society (to make society safe by keeping those who are menacing in prison).

He added that the final three aims of the seven cardinal points of why prisons were established are the most important.

He disclosed them as the three Rs: reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration.

He described the three Rs as the most important to them so the Nigerian Prison Services focuses majorly on the education of inmates which is why the Ibara prison is a National Open University of Nigeria centre with twenty-nine students.

It also applied to be a NECO centre in 2018, was approved and thirty-five inmates sat for the 2018 NECO exam.

It also teaches the inmates functional vocational skill acquisition, music talent building and promotion and suchlike and that they don’t have the prison’s name on the certificates they give to the inmates who learn the vocations so that when they leave the prison to seek work, they won’t be stigmatized.

He also revealed that the Old Abeokuta prison is 119 years old and houses both male and female inmates.