By Palma Ileye
Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, in a bid to maintain high standard of discipline and professionalism has reviewed various cases of unprofessional conducts, wrongdoings, improper behaviours and serious misconducts of erring personnel, resulting to the dismissal of three (3) personnel, including a Controller of Corrections, for various misconducts such as gross negligence of duty, absence without leave, trafficking in illicit items, general inefficiency, falsification of results.
In a letter issued by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, a total of twenty (20) personnel were discharged and acquitted of the various offences which they were accused of; while one (1) officer who was previously suspended was reinstated after the review exercise.
Also, a total of three (3) personnel were compulsorily retired, six (6) personnel had their ranks reduced, while thirteen (13) personnel attracted either verbal or plain warning.
These sanctions according to a press release issued by ACC Abubakar Umar, Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Correctional Service were in line with the zero tolerance on Staff misconducts, a cardinal mantra of the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa and targeted towards ridding the Service of unscrupulous elements and misfits, so as to improve professionalism as well as to entrench discipline, ethics and excellence in its Officers and men.
The Service in the statement disclosed has the onerous mandate of keeping custody of the legally interned in a safe and humane condition as well as reforming, rehabilitating and reintegrating them back to the society as responsible citizens.
The NCoS statement stated that in order to meet these mandates, the Service ensures that it cleanses personnel of bad eggs as well as unprofessionalism that may setback or slowdown the achievement of these important national mandates.
The Service hereby assured the members of the general public of its resolve to secure all custodial and non-custodial facilities, and engender true correctional practice in conformity with international best correctional practices.
Adding that the general public is also requested to support the Nigerian Correctional Service in its efforts towards effective offenders’ management so as to promote public safety and national security in general.