Lagos Nigeria, The Forgiven Volunteers, a humanitarian and volunteer initiative championed by Pastor Jude Chinwe Nwoko, Resident Pastor of This Present House, Lekki, Lagos, has extended its outreach to inmates at the Lagos Kirikiri Correctional Facility as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable and underserved communities.

The visit, which brought together Pastor Jude and members of the Forgiven Volunteers, featured a combination of worship, motivational engagement, humanitarian support and personal interaction with inmates.

The Forgiven Volunteers initiative is an offshoot of Pastor Jude Nwoko’s ministerial calling and was established following the launch of his book, *Forgiven*, on June 21, 2026. The initiative seeks to promote , restoration, redemption, reconciliation and practical support for individuals and communities in need.

The Kirikiri outreach marks another phase of the group’s ongoing engagement with correctional facilities across Lagos. It follows previous visits to the Male Ikoyi Custodial Centre and the Female Correctional Centre in Apapa, further demonstrating the group’s commitment to reaching inmates across the correctional system.

The programme commenced with a brief worship session, followed by motivational and interactive sessions. A particularly emotional moment came when inmates were given the opportunity to share personal accounts of the circumstances that led to their incarceration.

One inmate, who requested anonymity, shared her experience with Pastor Jude and the team and advocated for alternative approaches to handling minor offences. She suggested that individuals serving short sentences for less serious offences could, where appropriate, be considered for community service as a form of corrective intervention. According to her, such an approach could help reduce congestion within correctional facilities.

Her account, which was both emotional and reflective, prompted further conversations about rehabilitation, reintegration and the need to provide inmates with opportunities to rebuild their lives.

Pastor Jude commended the correctional officers and personnel on duty for their service and commitment to managing the facility. He also called for stronger collaboration between correctional institutions, private organisations, volunteers and other stakeholders in the areas of vocational development, advocacy and rehabilitation.

He noted that increased collaboration could help raise public awareness about the realities facing inmates while creating additional opportunities for skills development, rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Pastor Jude further advocated for greater consideration of private-sector participation in correctional services, particularly through properly regulated partnerships that could complement existing government efforts and help address the growing demands placed on correctional facilities.

The humanitarian outreach also included the provision and distribution of essential resources to inmates. Members of the Forgiven Volunteers presented copies of Pastor Jude Nwoko’s *Forgiven* book to the inmates, alongside the opportunity for direct interaction, dialogue and the sharing of personal experiences and concerns.

The outreach reinforced the message that incarceration should not eliminate hope or human dignity. Through its continued engagements, the Forgiven Volunteers aims to contribute to a culture of compassion, rehabilitation and second chances for individuals within correctional facilities.

The initiative’s continued visits to correctional facilities across Lagos reflect its broader vision of combining faith, humanitarian service and practical advocacy to positively impact lives and communities.

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Thursday, abducted passengers travelling to Abuja along the Otukpo–Adoka road in Benue State.

The incident happened when an 18-seater commercial bus travelling from Enugu to Abuja was intercepted around the Ankpechi–Omutele axis in Ohimini Local Government Area.

According to the Benue State Police Command, 14 passengers were on board the bus. So far, security operatives have rescued five victims, including a four-year-old boy, while nine others are still being held by the suspected kidnappers.

One of the rescued victims reportedly sustained a gunshot injury during the rescue operation and is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility in Otukpo.

The police said efforts are ongoing, in collaboration with other security agencies, to rescue the remaining victims safely.

Residents in the affected communities have also been urged to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities to security agencies.

A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to strip nearly 1,100 Somalis of legal protections against deportation that have allowed them to live and work in the United States.

U.S. ‌District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston allowed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for Somalia after the U.S. Supreme Court in June allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti and Syria.

The Supreme Court’s ruling, powered by its ⁠6-3 conservative majority, curtailed the ability of judges to review DHS efforts under Trump to end TPS designations for 13 countries that provided humanitarian immigration protection to eligible migrants from those nations.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Two other judges last week allowed the administration to similarly end TPS for South Sudan and Myanmar. Only the end of TPS for Ethiopia remains blocked by a judge.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in January announced ‌plans ⁠to end TPS for Somalis, arguing Somalia’s conditions had improved, despite ongoing fighting between Somali forces and al-Shabaab militants.

Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, in March blocked Noem’s decision from taking effect in a lawsuit brought by four Somalis and two advocacy ⁠groups including African Communities Together.

The plaintiffs argued the administration sought to end TPS for Somalia due to bias against non-white immigrants, pointing to Trump’s past descriptions of Somalis as “garbage” ⁠and “low IQ people.”

After the Supreme Court ruled, Burroughs issued a new order that continued to temporarily block the end of the Somalis’ TPS while she ⁠considered whether to allow the plaintiffs to try to challenge DHS action on grounds the Supreme Court’s ruling did not address.