One of the inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Custodial Centre in Borno State has won N1million prize in the maiden edition of Chess in Prison Championship organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) The chess competition, which held at the premises of the correctional facility on Tuesday in Maiduguri, brought together 42 competitors drawn from the State Medium and Maximum correctional facilities, to jostle for various categories of awards.

While commending the UNODC, the Minister, who was represented by his Technical Adviser to Minister in Corrections Mr. Babatunde Ogundare, said the excercise will foster critical thinking skills and strengthen the cordial relationship between the inmates and personnel in the custodial centres.

“This is one of its kind. Correctional centre is not a percussion home, rather, it is meant to build you to become a better person. Use this knowledge to evaluate your life, begin to think and discover that value you have that the world is yet to see.

“For those of us who are free outside. It does not mean that we are better than you. Therefore, let the essence of today go into your behaviour,” he advised.\

He assured the inmates of improved infrastructure that will meet the standard of the Kuje correctional centre in Abuja He said: “We are looking at replicating the standard of the Kuje Correctional facility across all that we have in Nigeria.”

While announcing the N1million support for the winner, the chairman, House Committee on Reformation, Chinedu Ogah, expressed satisfaction with the UNODC initiative.