The Nigeria Police Force has been advised to set up a Police Skills Acquisition Institute where it could train inmates while decriminalising and remodelling them into productive elements of the society through exposure to training and inculcation of various skills at the institute.
The concept if embraced would also help to decongest Nigerian prisons which currently have huge number of trainable youths as inmates.
Gombe state Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Alhaji Bakura Mohammed Bajoga at the weekend in Gombe during the graduation ceremony of 292 vocational/employment trainees jointly trained by Kishimi Vocational Training Institute and the state Command of the Nigerian Police.
He said the call was against the backdrop of “various forms mischief by political power mongers and other selfish unpatriotic individuals has given birth to serious security challenge in the country which is currently consuming huge financial resources that would have been used to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the citizens.”
“You can see clearly that we have a big problem in our hands. Our youths are becoming endangered species that urgently need to be rescued,” he added.
The Commissioner then called on individuals, groups and organisations to support government in the rescue mission as he appreciated Gombe Commissioner of Police and Kishimi for their initiative.
He said 250 youths had earlier been trained by the Command on the making of emulsion and text-coat paints.
“The essence of this approach is to rescue idle youths from the ills of the strrets and channel their enormous tarlent, strength and enthusiasm into profitable ventures and by so doing, reduce factors that fuel crime and criminal propensity,” the Commissioner explained.
Executive Director Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation, Mrs. Grace Samuel said the foundation came to being eight years ago, but the institute was officially commissioned in 2015 after which it trained 423 youths with the support of CIHP.
She said the theme of this occasion: ‘Youth Empowerment as a panacea for crime prevention’ was “borne out of the need to curb youth restiveness and crime in the society by engaging youths into noble causes that will help them earn a living and avoid idleness.”
(Today.ng)