A religious group known as Prison Fellowship Nigeria has said the increasing rates of crime in Nasarawa State were alarming, urging parents and guardians to strictly monitor their children and wards as they go about their daily activities.
The Coordinator, of Lafia Care Group of the PFN, Pastor Sam-Praise Udeh, disclosed this to Journalists during the graduation ceremony of 42 inmates who were lectured for two months on The Prisoner’s Journey and The Sycamore Tree Project at the Medium Security Custodian Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Lafia, the state capital.
Udeh who expressed worry about the security threats in the country including armed robbery, kidnapping, and banditry, expressed confidence that crime would be drastically reduced in society if parents and guardians were given the needed orientation and monitoring of the activities of their children daily.
“We are here today for the graduation ceremony of 42 inmates comprising Thirty-five males and Seven females who were trained on two academic courses; The Prisoner’s Journey and The Sycamore Tree Project.
“They were given their certificates and each of them got a brand new bible from the PFN. The two programs are aimed at providing spiritual renaissance in the lives of the inmates and reuniting them with God”, he noted.
On the increasing rates of crime in the state, Udeh said, “I feel that as parents, we can work towards decongesting our correctional facilities by training our children in the way of God. Because when we train them in the right way, they will not engage themselves in crime. Rather, they will do meaningful things that will help society to be developed.
“The security issues we are facing in Nasarawa State are enormous, armed robbery, kidnapping, and the rest of them. We are aware that the security agencies are making efforts to provide adequate security for the residents, but I think we also have our roles to play as parents for our dear Nasarawa state and county to be free from crime”.
Udeh further appealed to the inmates to make judicious use of the teachings and genuinely have a positive change of heart to be useful in society after serving their jail terms.
Our correspondent reports that during the graduation ceremony, the inmates who could not hide their joy, danced to songs during a praise and worship session led by a team of singers.
On her part, the Correctional Centre’s Deputy Controller, Admin, Mary Mereh, thanked the PFN for the programs and pledged the commitment of the Service to the welfare of the inmates through public-private partnerships to make life more meaningful for them, while urging the graduating inmates to practice what they were taught during the programmes.
Dominica Nwabufo
