Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Josiah Majebi, has admonished the convicts who secured freedom through the intervention of the Idewole Foundation during the recent correctional centres congestion exercise in the state to shun crimes.

He urged them to shun bad companies, social vices and other criminal activities that are capable of returning them to prison.

The CJ gave the advice at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja at the weekend when he received some of the ex-convicts who have been trained by the Foundation in solar installation.

It would be recalled that the Idewole Foundation, through the Chairman of the Kogi State House of Assembly Committee  on Judiciary, Justice and Legal Matters, Halidu Adejoh, joined the CJ during the decongestion exercise and secured the release of some convicts after paying their judgement fines.

The foundation subsequently took those who were ready to acquire skills for a three-month training programme in Abuja.

The beneficiaries were also given N300,000 each at the end of the training as startup capital by the foundation. The fund was routed through the judiciary after the programme for onward disbursement to the recipients to ensure proper handling just as their visit was to appreciate the CJ and collect their money.

After the foundation’s plea, the judiciary had undertaken to coordinate the ex-convicts, who were mostly teenagers, for the training programme to make them self-sustaining and become better citizens.

Justice Majebi demanded responsibility from parents too, while particularly asking the elusive father of one of the boys to show up and take his responsibilities. The boy’s parents had abandoned the boy, even after he was freed, on the claim that the father had suffered several arrests in the past because of the boy and therefore refused to show up for fear of arrest.

The CJ called on the father, who still lives in Aiyetoro to brace up for proper parenting and face the challenges of training his son, especially now that the boy has been rehabilitated and he’s ready to deploy the skills learnt at the training purposefully.

Earlier, the Deputy Chief Registrar, Magistracy at the High Court of Justice, Barr. Olurunshola Toba, who coordinated the training program on behalf of the High Court, reported that he witnessed significant improvements in the boys after the training, saying they have “completely changed after the program.”

The DCR, who exercised the mandate of liaising between the families of the ex-convicts, the foundation and the judiciary throughout the training period, reported that the ex-convicts were adjudged to have been well-behaved and concentrative throughout the training programme.

He, however, added that the parents of one of them released in Kabba had rejected his teenage son, saying he had “dashed the boy to the government.”

“After the prison visit, forms were distributed for those interested for the skill acquisition programme which only few turned up. We took the six of them to Abuja and last month I was called upon to represent their parents and the institution.

“They were given N 300,000 each out of which N50,000 is meant to purchase solar installation equipment.

“I asked one of them (whose father said he has dashed the government) how he’ll go about himself, he said he would give his money to his parents but I told him it will amount to diversion of the fund and declined him.

“The reason being that when the boy was released from the prison, neither the father nor the mother came for him. Despite release, he remained in the prison till the time the training commenced. But before we left for Abuja, his Aunty who was taking care of him before he committed the offence that took him to prison, having been disowned by his father, signed for him.

“When I got to their Aiyetoro hometown, the father refused to show up and I was told that his refusal was in fear of arrest as he had suffered several arrests before because of the boy.

“After our return, I was relating with the aunty but when I asked her to come with the boy to collect the money, she declined saying she doesn’t want to touch the boy’s money but would rather notify his mother. I subsequently got a call from a woman who claimed to be the biological mother of the boy but when she started asking only about the money, I decided that the Aunt who stood by him when he needed somebody most, should be given the privilege of continuing to guard the boy but since she declined, we couldn’t go further. Neither the boy nor any of his parents is here now.

“I eventually asked the boy to go to Aiyetoro so I can speak with the said mother but up till now nobody has called me,” he disclosed.

He thanked the foundation, the chairman and members of the House of Assembly  Committee on Judicial Matters for the roles they have played in the ex-convicts’ lives just as he commended the DCR- Magistracy  for his efforts and his risky travelling around to ensure the programme came to fruition.

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