NGO vows to rehabilitate inmates, ex-convicts in Abuja, Sokoto, others

By Albert Akota

The president and founder of the Shamies Usual Heart Foundation, nongovernmental organization (NGO) Sara Abdul has vowed to work with different agencies as well as Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) to rehabilitate twenty nine inmates in Abuja, plateau and Sokoto states respectively.
Abdul who stated this in Abuja while celebrating her birthday to launch her NGO said her main target is to rehabilitate inmates currently servicing with mere offences and unable to seek self-help or expresses themselves before law enforcement agencies over pretty offences as well reform exconvicts back to the society.
According to her, the NGO will focus more on empowering and rehabilitating inmates both male and female especially those on remand with minor offenses in Abuja, Sokoto and Jos prison respectively to kick the objectives of the foundation.
‘The main objectives of the foundation center on prison care, rehabilitation of inmates as well ass and exconvicts reform, the foundation will fight for inmates who could not fight for themselves just for little offences, we want to rehabilitate exconvicts back to the society.
We have chosen three states after carrying out some internal works to identified states to start with and came up with Abuja, plateau and Sokoto states respectively.
‘How can someone be reminded for stealing a chicken, that showed such person cannot pay bills but need empowerment, we want to rehabilitate some by working with others government agencies to empower inmates and exconvicts back to the society.
According to her, the foundation is not only to bail them out, rehabilitate but engage them in skills acquisitions for the betterment of Nigeria.
‘Personally, I have been doing this job for some years now before laughing it today officially because it will be difficult for me alone to handle it,
So far, I have identified twenty nine to rehabilitate both male and female, my target is one hundred to empower from now till October but so far, I have gotten twenty nine from three states over petty off fences and are spending more time that they should spend.
‘It beat me to think, someone who stole chicken of one thousand five
hundred naira are in prison, let’s me tell you, Some people don’t even
visit prison to know how it look like until they are involved, you
need to visit prison to see what imamates are going through, she
enthused.