Group unveils revised manual on treatment of female inmates in Nigeria

CAPIO with officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) during the unveiling of the revised manual for the treatment of female inmates in Nigeria

The Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation (CAPIO) has unveiled the revised manual on the treatment of female inmates in all custodial centres across Nigeria.

The Executive Director, Jude Isiguzo, a reverend father, unveiled the manual at the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Headquarters, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Isiguzo said that the manual was necessary to ensure adequate and proper care for female inmates.

He said that the organisation had been supporting the NCoS in attending to the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates in custodial centres.

He also said that the organisation merged two manuals that had earlier been produced for both female inmates and security personnel.

“We are here to launch the “General Training for Gender Mainstreaming in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

“When we were called to assist in harmonising the two manuals, one from us which is gender-sensitive training manual for women in prisons and the one for security personnel, which is ‘Focal points for security personnel’.

“We saw it as something good and nice because if harmonised as one document, it will become more effective both for the men and women in training institutions and also for Nigeria as a society.

“This is because we so much cherish the reformation of women, especially in custodial centres and we have continued to lay emphasis on the need to attend to them as special human beings.

“Oftentimes, most people see the prisons as only built to accommodate men alone, and because of that they didn’t factor in that women will also be there; they didn’t see that they are different from men and their needs are also different,” he said.

The CAPIO boss said that there was a need to lay more emphasis on what needed to be done in treating women inmates.

“They should be treated as women not men, respect their rights.

“For instance, women menstruating should be provided with pads. If men can do without tissue, it is not proper for women to stay without menstrual pads.

“So this is why we saw the need to embark on this project to support and promote reformation in the NCoS.

“We appreciate the CG for putting trust in us and continuing to believe in us,” he added.

Earlier, the Assistant Controller General, Welfare, Mohammed Attah, said that CAPIO had been very supportive of the service for many years.

Mr Attach said that reformation, reintegration and rehabilitation of inmates could not be done by the NCoS alone, adding that the service needed very good partners like the CAPIO.

He said: “We believe if we reform the inmates physically, we also need spiritual reformation for them to be complete.

“Physical reformation is trying to see how they can move away from their initial negative attitudes, while spiritual reformation will now guide them adequately.

“In Nigeria, it is either you are a Muslim or Christian, and since the CAPIO comes in as a Christain body, for those inmates that are Christain, they will be able to know that there is God,” he said.

He assured that the manual would be put to proper use, and added that the service would always remember CAPIO for all its contributions.

“I know the kind of input and impact that the organisation did before now.

“We know what the organisation had done for the service, as they have provided sanitary pads for inmates during the COVID-19.

“With the request we made on the revised gender for treatment of female inmates for our officers, we can see that they have responded positively.

“It is a good note to say that every time we make requests to them, most of the requests are always approved and with immediate action. We appreciate,” he said.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the manual was received by the Controller General, NCoS, Haliru Nababa, who was represented by the Assistant Controller General, Public Health, Mohammed Gombe.

NAN also reports that VOICE Nigeria is providing funding support for CAPIO to execute all its projects.

(NAN)