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Senate Chief Whip Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu said yesterday that God used him to secure the release of over 100 inmates from Kuje prisons.
Narrating the event on his verified Facebook page, Kalu who paid a special visit to the facility on Friday in the spirit of Christmas said that many Nigerians were languishing in the prison for not fulfilling the requirements of the law.
Why he noted that there were many who actually earned their place in the facility, the Senator also stated that many other inmates were happy and willing to live behind bars for life.
On an emotional note, Kalu recounted two separate incidents in his left that had brought tears to his eyes.
According to him, the first was when Igbos were deported from Lagos to Onitsha in Anambra State and the second being the day he was taken to prison.
It will be recalled that Kalu who was a two term governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007 was upon his exit from office accused of embezzling about N7.1billion from the State coffers by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In December 2019, Kalu was pronounced guilty by a court and sent to Kuje prisons in Abuja to serve a 12 year jail term.
However, in May, 2020, respite came his way as the Supreme Court quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial.
Similarly, by an application, a court also barred EFCC from including the Senator in the fresh trial.
But the anti-graft agency was miffed by the decison of the court and has reportedly appealed the matter for it to be set aside.
Kalu who shared pleasantries and ate with some officials of the prisons wrote:
“As part of my covenant with God to encourage and support the mental wellbeing of those in detention, I have been visiting and spending time with them and today is one of those days.
“Since I became an adult and as long as I can remember, there have been two occasions I wept and couldn’t hold back. The first was the day Igbos were deported from Lagos to Onitsha. After my reaction to the unceremonious event, I questioned the humanity in this country and the embarrassment attached. I never foresaw that such could ever happen in my lifetime.
“The second was when I was at the Nigerian Correctional Service Medial Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, Abuja. Somehow, one young man (names withheld) approached me and sought an audience which I granted. He told me a pathetic story of how he found himself in prison. He is the only child of his parents and his father was also imprisoned. That night, I prayed and thanked God for encountering him. I didn’t need anyone to tell me it was a set up for his family. After my intervention by engaging the services of a lawyer, himself and his father were freed. May God bless him.
“With God’s grace , I was able to secure the release of not less than 100 inmates who were in detention because they couldn’t afford a lawyer or bail. My stay in Kuje actually gave me an opportunity to see the deepest and lowest ebb of the downtrodden. While many in detention are guilty of one crime or the other, there are several others who are languishing in detention because they could not fulfill the requirements of the law to be freed. They just needed little intervention and I am grateful to God for using me. However, I also noticed there are a few who do not want to leave the prison. For reasons best known to them, they feel much more comfortable spending their entire lives in prison. It’s a deep world.
“As I visited the Nigerian Correctional Service Medial Security Custodial Centre, Kuje today in compliments of the season, I ate, drank and shared jokes with a few. Among other interventions in the Nigerian Correctional Service Medial Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, I am very happy that the solar power project I sponsored has helped the prison with 24 hour power supply.
“By 2022, we will commence the building of a new cell to decongest the already congested prison.
“I thank the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service for his commitment and great improvement in the correctional center
“I also thank the head of the Nigerian Correctional Service Medial Security Custodial Center, Kuje, Abuja, and staff for their selflessness and generosity in discharging their duties.
“Wishing everyone merry Christmas in advance! #OUK #KeepHopeAlive”.
