When Zakariya Mohammed was sent to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Billiri, Gombe State, in December 2020, to serve his time, he was overwhelmed with despair.
For days, he was frustrated with life, wondering how he would spend the years of his sentence within the four walls of a prison.
However, things changed when he listened to the piece of advice from the deputy comptroller of the facility who urged him to take advantage of the skills acquisition programme.
The 26-year-old ex-convict in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Friday, said he learned bag and shoemaking skills during his incarceration.
According to Mohammed, the price of a pair of his handmade shoes ranges between N1,000 and N3,000, while the bags go for between N700 and N2,500, depending on their size and quality.
“When I was sent to the correctional centre, I became so sad because I thought my life was finished. For some days upon my arrival, I was always thinking and frustrated about how I would spend years in the correctional facility serving my sentence.
