By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, and the Commandant of the Police College, Kaduna, Commissioner of Police Thabita Bako, have urged newly graduated correctional officers to combine professionalism and discipline with compassion, responsibility and respect for human dignity.
They spoke on Thursday at the graduation ceremony of the Chief Correctional Assistant Conversion Course, held at the Correctional Service Training School, Kaduna, where 400 officers drawn from across the federation graduated.
The ceremony, held under the theme, “Synchronised for Power, Repackaged for Responsibility,” marked the completion of the conversion training and the officers’ transition into greater responsibilities within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Speaking at the event, Sani said correctional work should go beyond confinement to include rehabilitation, reformation and preparation of inmates for reintegration into society.
He urged the graduates to see their authority as a responsibility to transform lives rather than an opportunity to abuse power.
Sani said, “Your uniform gives you authority, but it should also remind you of the responsibility that comes with that authority. Do not abuse the power entrusted to you.”
He said correctional management would be more effective when professionalism was combined with understanding, mentoring and compassion, noting that inmates should not be permanently defined by their mistakes
“Your past should not permanently define your future. The correctional service has a practical and important role in helping people who have gone through the system to rediscover themselves and rebuild their lives,” he said.
According to Sani, the success of a correctional institution should be judged not only by its ability to maintain order but also by how effectively it prepares inmates to return to society as responsible citizens.
“The strength of a correctional institution is not measured only by the number of people it keeps behind its walls. It is also measured by the number of people who leave those walls better prepared to contribute positively to society,” he said.
In her remarks, Bako reminded the graduates that their elevation came with greater responsibility and higher expectations.
She said, “To whom much is given, much is expected. This elevation is not just an ordinary elevation. It comes with greater responsibility, higher expectations and a renewed obligation to serve with integrity and professionalism.”
The police commissioner urged the officers to ensure that their conduct reflected their new positions, stressing that their colleagues and junior officers would look to them as examples.
“Those who are ahead of you are watching. Those coming behind you are also watching. You are moving up, and the question is: What will be your attitude and what kind of example will you provide for those coming after you?” she asked.
Bako described the Correctional Service as an important component of the criminal justice system, alongside the police and the courts.
She said the responsibility of correctional officers did not end with maintaining custody but also included contributing to the reform and eventual reintegration of inmates.
The commandant reminded the officers that some of the people placed under their care could eventually occupy influential positions in society.
She therefore urged them to consider how their conduct would be remembered by those they encountered in the correctional system.
“Some of the people who come into contact with you today may eventually become important personalities tomorrow. When that time comes, they may remember the way you treated them,” Bako said.
She stressed that correctional work involved more than confinement, adding that reflection, rehabilitation, behavioural change and preparation for a new beginning were essential to the process.
Bako urged the graduates to maintain discipline while also demonstrating understanding and compassion in their dealings with inmates.
The ceremony underscored the importance of strengthening the professional capacity of correctional officers while promoting discipline, rehabilitation, humane treatment and successful reintegration.
The 400 graduates were charged to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the conversion course to their daily duties and uphold the integrity and values of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Sani and Bako congratulated the officers on completing the course and urged them to use their new responsibilities to contribute to security, rehabilitation and the building of a safer society.
