Restorative Justice for Africa (REJA Initiative) is excited to unveil the first-ever Halfway Home and transitional shelter for formerly incarcerated individuals in Nasarawa State.

This groundbreaking initiative marks a major leap forward in reimagining justice in Nigeria, offering dignity, direction, and hope to formerly incarcerated persons who were unjustly detained or have no family or home to return to.

The facility, named “Restored Voices Shelter,” was officially launched on the 3rd of July 2025 at a ceremony in Ado, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State drawing key players from across the criminal justice sector including the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, Hon. Justice Aisha Bashir-Aliyu ably represented by Mr. Yahaya Shafa, The Non-custodial Directorate of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Dr. Oluwatoyin Badejogbin, the Country Director of #ROLAC, Mr. Jacob Tsado, the Executive Director of Prison Fellowship International, Nigerian Chapter, Aisha Abdullahi Bubah, Executive Director of The Sunshine Series- Mind wellness, Barr. Ubose Olorunfemi, human rights enthusiast and Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Mr. Rafiu Adeniran Lawal, Executive Director of Building Blocks for Peace
Foundation, our distinguished board member, Mr. Israel Usman, Mr. David Babatunde from the Nigerian Correctional Service, Keffi, community members and a number of other officers from the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nassarawa State.

Another highlight of the occasion was the launch of a Model Practice Direction on Restorative Justice for Nigerian Courts, alongside a guided tour of the newly completed shelter.

The Restored Voices Shelter is a post-incarceration transition facility, designed to bridge the reintegration gap that plagues Nigeria’s criminal justice system. For years, REJA has provided critical legal aid and restorative justice interventions to indigent and wrongfully detained persons. But in the course of the work, there was a painful realisation; there was very little aftercare support for people re-entering society after incarceration. The Restored Voices Shelter is our answer to this problem, it is a safe, supportive space for transformation.

The Restored Voices Shelter is envisioned as a self-sustaining halfway home, led by formerly incarcerated individuals and tailored to provide temporary housing, psychosocial support, vocational training, and life-skills counselling.

The initiative is part of REJA’s broader mission to close the justice and inequality gap and reform Nigeria’s criminal justice system by tackling the root causes of injustice and repeat offending, particularly among indigent and wrongfully detained persons.

If you believe in second chances, true justice, and healing through community, we invite you to partner with us. Let’s restore voices and rewrite futures together.