Don’t abuse second chance, Edo parole board chairman warns inmates

From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

Chairman of Edo State Parole Board, Hon. Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga (rtd), yesterday, warned inmates in the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Benin, not to abuse the second chance given to them by God and the government by misleading the board with wrongful information about themselves as they seek for parole but to be honest because of its dire consequences.

She gave the warning during the board’s visit to sensitize them on parole and the need to key into the programme.

Justice Edodo-Eruaga said that parole has been on in other climes but very new in Nigeria, noting that were fortunate to be the first set of inmates to benefit from it but stressed that they must abide by its primary rules being of good behaviour and displaying of a high sense of honesty. “Good behaviour means the individual has not caused problems while in custody and has learned a trade to enable peaceful community reintegration,” Edodo-Eruaga said.

She informed them that parole doesn’t cover heinous crimes like rape, murder, said inmates on life imprisonment must have served 10 years in the Centre while those sentenced to 21 years must have served one-third of their terms before being qualified to apply for parole.

The retired Justice pointed out that the essence of parole is to encourage the decongestion of the Correctional Centres across the country.

Also speaking, Mr. Abraham Naibo, Programme Assistant of the Prisons Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), urged the inmates to capitalize on their stay at the Centre at the moment to learn a trade, pointing out that, it will be wrong for them to appear before the board without a learnt skill.

He said the skill learnt while serving their terms would form the ground they could start their lives from when finally reintegrated into the society.

Naibo further admonished the inmates to always carry the officers of the Correctional Centres along on their day-to-day activities while still on parole adding that such would enable them (officers) know how reformed they have been.

The Controller of Corrections, Edo State, Sunday Oyakhire, represented by the Deputy Controller of Corrections, Ogbue Paul Agiliga, appealed to the inmates to register for a skill, stressing that it would be an added advantage to enable them qualify for the parole programme.

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