By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The South East Security Network (SESN) on Sunday said that ex-convicts are responsible for all manner of crimes and criminality going on in the Southeast geo political zone.

The group in a statement after rising from their 2025 New Year Meeting held in Awka to analyse the deplorable insecurity situation in the zone observed that ex-convicts contributed significantly to kidnapping, car snatching and killings in the zone.

The statement signed by its zonal leader, Col. Jude Obi (rtd) said that investigation showed that most of the major criminal activities in areas like Onitsha, Ogbaru, Owerri and municipalities, Ukwu Oji, Awo Idemili, Umunze, Ogbunka, Ogbe-Ukwu, Osumughu, Iheteowerri, Ogberuru, Obibi Ochasi Ukwuru, among others, had ex-convicts as arrowheads.

The group wondered the process applied by the Criminal Justice System in Nigeria in the reformation of inmates serving time in Correctional Centres.

The statement partly reads: ?Why should ex-convicts be hardened after serving out their jail terms? Even those still serving their jail terms commit crimes right from Correctional Centres. Why should it be so?

?What are the process of correcting them? There should be something fundamentally wrong with our Correctional measures if after their terms they go back hardened and join criminal gangs.

?We are asking for a comprehensive overhauling of the Correctional Centres to cater for the total wellbeing of the inmates, even after they might have completed their jail terms.

?Our Governments should evolve a process that will take care of these ex-convicts after coming out from Correctional Centres. Government can either provide them with jobs or pay them monthly stipends to fully help integrate them into the larger society,? said the group.

The group further cited jail break in Owerri, Imo State, Onitsha, Edo State and other parts of the country some time ago, where over 4,000 inmates broke loose and re-integrated into the society as a pointer to the increased crime rate in the society.

It noted that some of the inmates were already hardened and condemned criminals who came out and became more aggressive.

SESN however suggested that before inmates are set free into the society, that they should be attached to places, preferably companies where they can be productive and earn a living, to avoid being tempted to return to their criminal ways.