By Sunmola Olowookere
They were looking hopeful despite the despondency which threatened to break forth on their faces. They were incarcerated in an enclosed space. They felt stifled and would have loved to venture beyond the space, yet they were not sure of when they would see life outside the walls.
They all wore gloomy faces. The children, especially, could not hide their excitement, on seeing people coming to see them from the outside world. It was not everyday that such august visitors would come visiting. Hence they all wore expectant faces.
These were the inmates of the Ondo State Juvenile Correctional Home. They were about 76 and it was obvious that they all needed help from the hopeful look on their faces. Some were there having gone against the law while others were placed under government’s protective custody and became inmates of the juvenile home.
They were all looking relatively neat although in oversized clothes that were probably donated to the home and it seemed that they had been prepped up to receive the visitors.
The International Federal of Women Lawyers, FIDA had gone on an outreach to the Ondo State Juvenile Correctional facility and also organized a legal clinic for the inmates with the aim to offer free legal interventions in situations where necessary. They also came along with food provisions and household items as gifts for the inmates which excited the younger ones to no end.
While delivering the welcome address, the state chairperson of FIDA Ondo, Catherine Ogunjebi disclosed that the women lawyers came to succour the inmates of the juvenile home in line with one of their duties which is to protect, preserve and promote the right of Women and children.
She assured the inmates that the legal clinic which they had planned for them was one projected to see their cases to a logical conclusion while urging them to be open with the women lawyers that would interview them in the course of the clinic.
Ogunjebi further assured that FIDA was ready to partner with government in providing needed support for the inmates of the juvenile home.
Addressing the women lawyers, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Julianah Osadahun, said that the Ondo State Government was much concerned with the welfare of the children of the facility and sent some of them on training, in order to empower them.
She appreciated FIDA for the support it planed to render to the children.
Osadahun further observed that some of those remanded at the home had cases at the courts which were being delayed more than necessary.
While observing that although the facility was a correctional center and the inmates had been sent there for correction, she advised that the children should not be kept there perpetually.
Giving an account on the number of inmates, she explained that out of the 76 inmates in the facility, only 15 were in conflict with the law, and the offenses ranged from stealing, cultism, armed robbery and rape to kidnapping. She informed the august gathering that the cases of those over 18 years among the above mentioned group would soon be looked into as they had begun to constitute a nuisance to the home.
Osadahun lamented that although the state was not prone to crime, the upcoming generation of children gives one cause for concern due to their way of life and called for reintroduction of community parenting to our society in order to have a safe environment.
She observed an influx of foreigners into the country, saying many of them hover around the Oja Oba’s area, tapping car windows and asking for alms from motorists.
The commissioner commended FIDA for its commitment to fighting gender based violence in the state, saying that the association had been working closely with the agency in charge of gender based violence under the ministry.
National President of FIDA Nigeria, Sussanah Agbaje, while addressing the inmates said that the association was aware that many of them were in the facility because they came in conflict with the law but could offer them a second chance.
She informed the children that they were there to interact with them on how they got to the facility and offer free services where needed.
Agbaje expressed hope that they would still be amenable to corrections because of their tender ages and urged them to see the period of their incarceration as a time to rethink and reflect on their misdeeds.
The FIDA president commended the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development across the nation for their role in strengthening the family units in the state, describing them as a partner for life because they shared the same mission and vision.
She equally commended Nigeria Association of Women Journalists headed by Tola Gbadamosi for being equally committed to the cause of women and children.
The legal clinic began in earnest and the women lawyers broke themselves into groups as they began to interview the inmates with a view to offering free legal services to them where needed.
According to the breakdown published by the facility, 15 inmates are in conflict with the law, 9 are placed under protective custody, 13 are physically challenged while 39 are destitute.
After the clinic, the women lawyers made recommendations on each of the inmates interviewed for further review and the gifts brought along were presented to the staff of the juvenile home.
Ondo State Children Correctional Centre was established in 1991 to cater for children in conflict with the law, children in need of care and protection and children beyond parental control.
It is worthy of note that the facility originally was built for about 24 inmates, but it currently accommodates more than 76 Government would do well to look into the situation of the facility in order to improve the welfare of the inmates.
