Forum donates cow, clothing, food items worth N4m to Kirikiri inmates

 Forum donates cow, clothing, food items worth N4m to Kirikiri inmates

By Kazeem Akande

 (NAN) The Agege ‘Molebi Forum, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on Friday donated items worth four million naira to inmates at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.

CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos State, one of the pioneer founders of the forum, said that the gesture was part of the group’s humanitarian service to the society.

Egbeyemi said that the gesture would also give the inmates a sense of belonging.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other items donated by the forum included first aid box and medical items.

Egbeyemi said that being in Kirikiri was not for punishment but for correctional purposes.

“We have been undertaking various humanitarian services to the society. Recently, we donated 8000 exercise books to both pupils and students in Agege community schools.

“But now we decided to reach out to the inmates at the correctional centre where we gave them a big cow, clothing, lots of food items and other essential commodities.

“During our visit to the centre, we enlightened them that sending them to Kirikiri is not meant for punishment but for correctional purposes.

“There are school enrollment and vocational programmes in the centre, where you can engage yourselves for future purposes,” he said.

The RRS commander said that his command had embarked on serious anti-cultism enlightenment intended to educate the youth on the dangers and consequences of joining cults in school.

Mr Jimoh Olaniyi, the Head of Welfare Unit, Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, in his remarks, thanked the forum for the gifts given to the inmates.

“Honestly, I am very happy seeing this items given to the inmates within the short notice given to us and you come up with many expensive items like this. We thank you so much.

“With what you have seen here we show the inmates love and are kind to them at all times. Our relationship with them is the reason why they are not violent.

“We try to educate them that this place is a correctional centre not for punishment or to dehumanise anybody.

“With the different educational and vocational programmes going on here, we are reforming and rehabilitating them to suit and enhance their integration to the larger society,” he said.

According to Olaniyi, the centre has 2,856 inmates though its capacity is 1,940 inmates, with challenges of logistics to transport them for their various court cases.

Olaniyi said that 15 inmates were hernia patients who needed urgent medical operations, while three of them had been operated on with the assistance of a church.

Mr Mike Aroma, the centre’s School Principal, said that the school lacked both teaching and learning materials like exercise books, pens, white boards, markers, coloured pencils, and others.

Aroma said that 45 inmates registered for the last Senior Secondary School Examination, four are undergoing master’s degree classes, while two inmates are on their post-graduate studies.

“We have 17 students at the National Open University of Nigeria, 40 students in Information and Communication Technology classes, six in Arts and 35 at foundation levels. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)