SESN Warns of Ex-Convicts’ Role in Rising Crime in Southeast

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The South East Security Network (SESN) has raised concerns over the involvement of ex-convicts in the growing crime wave across the Southeast region. Following its 2025 New Year meeting in Awka, SESN identified former inmates as key perpetrators of offenses such as kidnapping, car theft, and killings, with crime hotspots in areas like Onitsha, Ogbaru, Owerri, and Umunze. In a statement signed by its zonal leader, Col. Jude Obi (Retd), the group criticized the inefficiency of the country’s correctional system, questioning why ex-convicts emerge from prison more hardened and why some inmates continue committing crimes from behind bars. SESN called for a comprehensive reform of correctional centers to ensure proper rehabilitation and reintegration. They urged the government to introduce support programs, including employment opportunities or financial assistance, to prevent former inmates from returning to criminal activities. The group also linked the surge in crime to past jailbreaks in Owerri and Onitsha, where thousands of escaped inmates reentered society, many becoming repeat offenders. To curb the trend, SESN recommended attaching ex-convicts to productive ventures to aid their reintegration.

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