Ten inmates from the Old Abeokuta Custodial Centre in Ogun State, Nigeria, have been admitted to Yewa Central College of Education to pursue tuition-free undergraduate programmes, marking a significant step in prison-based education and rehabilitation efforts in the region.
The ten students, seven men and three women, will study across several combined degree programmes, including English Language/Social Studies, Economics/Social Studies, Political Science/Social Studies, Business Education, Physical Health Education, Economics/Political Science, and Economics/Computer Science. Their matriculation for the 2025/2026 academic session was conducted within the correctional facility on Friday.
Dr. Mary Bamgbose, Provost of Yewa Central College of Education, officiated the ceremony. She welcomed the inmates as full students of the institution and charged them to maintain good conduct. Dr. Bamgbose emphasized the reformative purpose of their admission, stating that the college believes in their reformation and envisions them as future ambassadors for the institution upon their release. “As God is showing you mercy and favour out of this system, you can be a good advocate of our dear college outside this system one day,” she remarked.
One of the newly admitted students, Peter Adike, expressed the cohort’s determination to succeed despite their circumstances, pledging to make their families and the college proud. However, he highlighted persistent logistical hurdles, citing difficulties in accessing consistent teaching staff, textbooks, furniture, and other essential educational resources within the custodial setting.
This initiative reflects a growing, albeit under-resourced, trend of partnerships between Nigerian correctional services and tertiary institutions aimed at inmate rehabilitation through education. Such programmes are designed to equip incarcerated individuals with academic qualifications and skills, theoretically reducing recidivism and aiding smoother societal reintegration.
The success of this cohort will largely depend on the sustained support from the college and the Correctional Service to address the identified resource gaps. Their academic journey will be closely watched as a practical test of prison education’s role in Nigeria’s broader penal reform strategy.
