Abuja: The Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has emphasized that effective implementation of parole will significantly reduce custodial congestion and enhance rehabilitation processes. This was highlighted by the President of PRAWA, Dr. Uju Agomoh, during a one-day workshop aimed at operationalizing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Parole Board.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop was conducted under the Advancing the Implementation of Non-Custodial Solutions (AI-NCS) project, focused on strengthening the capacity of stakeholders and improving parole administration. Agomoh explained that parole involves a structured and supervised release of eligible offenders into the community to serve the remainder of their sentences under supervision. This approach is expected to alleviate pressure on custodial centers and allow the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to allocate resources more effectively to inmates who require continued custody.
Agomoh also highlighted that parole encourages good behavior and participation in rehabilitation programs. She advocated for structured reintegration into society, as opposed to an abrupt release after serving a sentence. She stressed the importance of public safety, indicating that risk assessments and community support systems would be integral to the parole process, along with clear application and decision-making procedures.
Retired Justice Abbazih Saddeeq, Chairman of the FCT Parole Board, assured that the board would implement parole measures in a fair, transparent, and effective manner. He called for practical approaches to balance rehabilitation and public safety. Similarly, ACG Ibrahim Idris, DCG of Corrections covering Non-Custodial Service, noted that parole is a non-custodial measure under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, and emphasized the need for accountability and multi-agency collaboration.
Idris acknowledged the challenges faced in previous efforts to operationalize parole in the FCT, which had not resulted in any inmate being granted parole. However, recent efforts include reconstituting the board and commencing capacity building, with hopes that the territory will soon see its first parolees.
Joshua Dada, representing the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), stated that their organization is supporting PRAWA under the AI-NCS project to advance non-custodial measures. He emphasized the need to transition from parole as a legal provision to making it operational in practice.
The workshop, as reported by NAN, gathered representatives from the NCoS, judiciary, justice sector institutions, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders involved in correctional administration.