Forty-two inmates in Jos Correctional Centre are writing the ongoing November/December Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) of the National Examination Council (NECO).
ASC Longdiem Godfrey, the Public Relations Officer of the Plateau Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), announced this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos.
According to Godfrey, the 42 inmates are sitting for the SSCE examinations at its adult school within the prison yard.
He explained that the move to write SSCE while in incarceration was part of the mandate of the service aimed at making the prisoners useful to themselves, families and society after serving their jail terms.
He noted that initiative was in furtherance of the obligation and mandate of the service towards the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates back to the society.
”As the saying knowledge is power, the essence of having a school within the prison yard is to reform the inmates with skills and provide them with formal education as well,” he said.
He also said that the examinations consist of different subjects, involving practicals and the theoretical aspects.
He thanked individuals, non-governmental organisations, religious bodies and government agencies that provided the funds used to register the inmates for the examinations.
NAN reports that the examination which began in November would end in December.
(NAN)
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
