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Yuletide: Groups donate gift items to inmates
In the spirit of the season, the Compassionate Family in collaboration with the Catholic Chaplaincy of the Nigerian Correctional Service, have donated gift items to inmates in Keffi.
Food items such as rice, beans, clothes, sanitary materials,books among others were donated on Sunday in Keffi as part of efforts for reformation of prison inmates at Medium Security Custodial Ceentre, Keffi-Nassarawa
Revd Fr. Victor Nyoroh, National Catholic Chaplain of the National Correctional Service, the convener, said the effort was targeted at the inmates reformation.
“The Chaplaincy came into existence on 22 May 2019 as a result of the Nigerian Correctional Act, 2019, 31 July,” he said
He stated that with this came further responsibilities for the Chaplaincy to saddle the spiritual resuscitation of the inmates.
He disclosed that for effective outreach, three groups were created namely the protestant group, the Catholic group and the Muslim/Islamic group.
Mr Songu Joseph, Controller of Corrections, National Chaplain of the protestant group said the existence of the Chaplaincy facilitated remarkable changes in the inmates.
” Due to the word of God being preached to them, they have remorseful hearts,” he said
Joseph said the reformation works of the Chaplaincy have also led to change in character and mode of life of the inmates in their strive to become better individuals.
He commended the Act for the change in name from prison to correctional center, adding that this would help change the mentality of Nigerians to accept inmates as human.
Also speaking in an interview, Shadrach Onmonya, Chaplain at the Medium Security Custodians Centre, Keffi said they had been having series of similar out reaches in the FCT
“This year we decided to reach out, to go beyond FCT and to get to the suburbs to other prisons around the central geopolitical zone.
“Our intention is actually to touch lives and to ensure that they are nourished physically,” Onmonya said.
The outreach was organised in partnership with Earthspring International, St Vincent de Paul society.
(NAN)
