The Presidential Committee on
Prisons Reforms and Decongestion led by the Chairman Hon. Justice
I. U. Bello to a courtesy visit in Asaba.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Monday called for the
abolishment of death penalty in Nigeria.
The governor made the call when members of the Presidential
Committee on Prisons Reforms led by its Chairman, Justice Ishaq
Bello paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.
According to him, death penalty should be abolished and those
who are already sentenced to death be converted to life
imprisonment, more so now that most state governments are unwilling
to sign the death warrant.
He also called for the reformation of the prisoners to make them
better citizens of the country.
Okowa condemned a situation where prison inmates coordinate
criminal activities such as kidnapping from the prisons, adding
that reforming the prisoners was apt for a sustainable crime-free
society.
“We need to reform the minds of the prisoners, a programme to
reform the mind of prisoners is very important because once you are
able to reform their minds, they will become better citizens.
“As a state government, we are extending our skills acquisition
programmes to the prisons.
“But, it will be such that the prisoners would be given starter
packs as they are leaving the prisons to enable them start their
own businesses and be useful members of the society,’’ he said.
According to the governor, setting up of the committee for
Prisons Reforms is timely and urged it to ensure a thorough
job.
He noted that the crime rate in the country was on the rise and
available prisons infrastructure had been stretched beyond their
limits.
Earlier, Bello said that they were in the state to have as part
of their activities to reform the Nigerian Prisons Service.
He said that the committee had visited more than 13 states in
that regard.
NAN