Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has donated vocational equipment to selected community service clients under the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Lagos State Command, as part of efforts to support rehabilitation, economic empowerment and reintegration.

The starter packs, comprising an industrial sewing machine, a manual sewing machine and a cobbler’s shoe-repair machine, were presented to beneficiaries at the Lagos State Command Headquarters of the NCoS.

The beneficiaries are undergoing community service as part of non-custodial measures administered by the Correctional Service.

According to the organisers, the beneficiaries were selected based on their commitment, discipline and compliance with their community service obligations.

President of PRAWA, Prof. Uju Agomoh, said providing beneficiaries of non-custodial measures with sustainable means of livelihood could help strengthen their reintegration into society and reduce the risk of reoffending.

She said rehabilitation should extend beyond serving a sentence or completing community service to addressing some of the economic challenges that could make reintegration difficult.

Agomoh explained that the initiative was intended to give beneficiaries practical tools with which they could earn a living and become economically self-reliant after completing their obligations.

The intervention also reflects the wider objectives of Nigeria’s non-custodial correctional system, which provides alternatives to imprisonment in appropriate cases.

Community service is among the non-custodial measures provided within Nigeria’s correctional framework, alongside other alternatives intended to promote rehabilitation while reducing reliance on incarceration.

PRAWA said livelihood support was particularly important to the effectiveness of such programmes because beneficiaries could face economic and social challenges while attempting to rebuild their lives.

The organisation maintained that vocational skills and access to basic working equipment could improve the prospects of successful reintegration.

Also present at the presentation were the Controller of Corrections, Lagos State Command, CC Daramola George, and Officer-in-Charge of the Non-Custodial Unit, DCC V.M. Dare, alongside members of the PRAWA team.

Speaking at the event, CC George thanked PRAWA for their unwavering support and for complementing the efforts of the NCoS in ensuring that non-custodial measures translate into meaningful rehabilitation.

Also, DCC V.M. Dare advised the beneficiaries to be productive and also be ready to train others

The NCoS Lagos State Command and PRAWA called on government agencies, corporate organisations, philanthropists and other stakeholders to support empowerment programmes for people undergoing non-custodial measures.

According to Agomoh, expanding such interventions could strengthen rehabilitation programmes and provide beneficiaries with greater opportunities to become productive members of their communities.

She added that effective reintegration, supported by sustainable livelihood opportunities, could contribute to efforts to reduce recidivism and improve community safety.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Lagos State Command, SC Osho Onimisi Joseph, confirmed the intervention in a statement issued on September 7, 2026.