NCoS, PRAWA Empower Kano Non-Custodial Clients With Vocational Starter Packs

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), in partnership with the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), has empowered eight beneficiaries under its Non-Custodial Unit in Kano State with vocational starter packs and survival kits.

The initiative, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme, is aimed at helping selected non-custodial clients turn their acquired vocational and entrepreneurial skills into sustainable livelihoods.

The empowerment items were presented to beneficiaries as part of efforts to promote rehabilitation, economic self-reliance and successful reintegration into society.

The items distributed included three full 3-drawer Butterfly sewing machines, one Turo carpentry toolbox, one carton of broilers with two bags of broiler feed, one hand-bead fixing machine and two trailer installation toolboxes.

Representing the Controller-General of Corrections, CGC Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, MFR, mni, the Deputy Controller-General in charge of the Non-Custodial Directorate, Ibrahim N. Idris, Esq., urged the beneficiaries to make effective use of the equipment provided to them.

Idris said the Non-Custodial Unit in Kano would continue to supervise and support the beneficiaries as they apply their acquired skills, urging them to become productive and responsible members of their families and communities.

He said the initiative was in line with the objectives of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, particularly its focus on rehabilitation, reformation, reintegration and empowerment of persons under correctional supervision.

The Deputy Controller-General also expressed appreciation to PRAWA, UNDP, RoLAC and other development partners for their continued support towards strengthening non-custodial measures in Nigeria.

Speaking earlier, the Controller of Corrections, Kano State Command, CC Ahmed Yusuf Lakpene, fsi, welcomed the President of PRAWA, Associate Professor Uju Agomoh, and her team to the Command.

Lakpene thanked PRAWA for selecting Kano State as one of the beneficiaries of the empowerment programme and commended the Non-Custodial Unit for its efforts towards ensuring the successful implementation of the initiative.

In her remarks, Agomoh reaffirmed PRAWA’s commitment to partnering with the Nigerian Correctional Service in strengthening non-custodial measures across the country.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the starter packs productively and establish sustainable businesses, while maintaining high standards of service and product quality to build public confidence and attract patronage.

Agomoh also stressed the importance of hard work, responsibility and commitment in achieving successful reintegration into society.

The distribution of the starter packs is part of broader efforts by the Nigerian Correctional Service and its development partners to promote rehabilitation, economic empowerment and reintegration for people serving non-custodial sentences.

The programme underscores the growing emphasis on skills development and economic empowerment as key components of Nigeria’s non-custodial correctional approach.