Six inmates at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja have earned university degrees through the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), marking a major milestone in prison education and rehabilitation.

 

 

 

The Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, said the inmates completed their programmes while still in custody, describing the achievement as proof that education can reform lives and prepare inmates for reintegration into society, The Cable reported.

 

 

 

 

According to NCoS spokesperson Samson Duza, two of the inmates bagged master’s degrees in peace studies and conflict resolution, while four earned bachelor’s degrees in peace studies and conflict resolution, political science, criminology, and security studies.

 

 

 

Represented by Deputy Controller-General Amos Kupan, Nwakuche stressed that incarceration should not end personal growth, adding that the service remains committed to providing educational and skill-building opportunities for inmates.

 

 

 

 

The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Christopher Jen, congratulated the graduates and urged them to use their qualifications as tools for positive change after their release.

 

 

 

 

Also speaking, Francis Enobore, Director of NOUN’s Special Study Centre, described the institution’s long-standing partnership with the correctional service as a “pathway of hope,” noting that learning restores dignity and purpose.

 

 

 

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Abba Kyari thanked both NOUN and the NCoS, saying the opportunity renewed their sense of direction.

 

 

 

The ceremony also featured counselling sessions focused on re-entry, skills development, and community reintegration, with the graduates pledging to contribute meaning

fully to society upon release.