Archbishop Chukwuma Pledges To Support Borstal Training Institute Enugu

The Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma, has pledged to support Borstal Training Institute (BTI), Enugu for the training of juvenile inmates.

The Archbishop made the pledge when the Controller of Corrections and Principal of BTI, Elizabeth Ezenwanne and her team paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Thursday in Enugu.

Ezenwanne had visited the archbishop seeking for his assistance on things BTI, for juvenile Offenders and delinquents needed to take off in the state.

The clergyman who said he was not aware of BTI for juvenile offenders noted that there were many younger inmates in the custodial centres

Archbishop Chukwuma, added that the support would be his own little way of giving back to the society especially as it concerns younger inmates.

He commended the passion of Ezenwanne, saying, “God will help you in your passion to see that the Institution takes off in the shortest time and that you should not be discouraged”.

He decried poor state of correctional centres across the country, describing them as not being correctional enough.

Archbishop Chukwuma who also noted that many of the centres were in a very sorry state said it called for concern for Nigerians.

According to Chukwuma, it is unfortunate that what is seen to be called a correctional centre is not correctional as far as Nigerian custodian centres are concerned.

“Rather, it is worse than being correctional because of the state of things, the condition of inmates, jail break here and there and the attitude of governments towards the welfare of inmates and the officers.

“This called for concern to many of us. I have been in London and UK prisons and the freed inmates feels like going back because of the state of their prisons,”Chukwuma said.

He told Ezenwanne that, “I understand the inefficiency and inadequacy with your office, the problem we have in this country is that we don’t focus on human welfare”.

Earlier, Ezenwanne said they visited the cleric to solicit for assistance in providing most of the things they needed to run the school as Government cannot do everything alone.

She told the archbishop that the Institute was abandoned decades ago which was supposed to cater for the reformation of underaged offenders within the South – East and South – South Geopolitical Zones of the federation.

The controller said that the center was yet to take off due to lack of some vital facilities like non- availability of viable water supply, electricity, existence of dilapedated staff and principal quarters, absence of buildings for Chapel/ Mosque Clinic, among others.

Ezenwanne said the school was meant for training of underaged offenders within the ages of 16 and 21who committed crime, tried and convicted.

According to her, taking them to adult conventional custodian centres where hardened criminals are harboured is not good for them.

“We reached out to you your Lordship because we are aware of your track records of how you have helped on issues like ours.

“This is why we insisted we must make this clarion call to you as a lot needed to be done in this school as Federal Government cannot do it alone,” She pleaded. (NAN)