At a time when folks take pleasure of their youngsters’s accomplishments, 89-year-old Pa Everestus Okereke of Imo State faces a painful accident. On this document, ANGELA NKWO-AKPOLU tells the poignant tale of an aged father languishing in jail and going through the bleak prospect of loss of life via placing along his eldest son, Ugochukwu.
At 89, when existence must be about relaxation, circle of relatives and the relief of outdated age, Pa Everestus Okereke is as an alternative faced with the agonising prospect of shedding his existence and that of his eldest son, Ugochukwu Iwueke, to the hangman’s noose on the Owerri Correctional Centre.
Their ordeal stems from an offence allegedly dedicated via some other son who reportedly fled, leaving the aged father and his eldest son stuck in a felony struggle that would finish of their execution. For Pa Okereke, the concern of demise along some other of his blameless son is a tragedy that just a miracle might avert.
He hails from Umuoparañuruba, Umuoparaebo – Umukaku, within the Ihitte Uboma native govt house of Imo State.
In 2006, his more youthful son were given right into a battle with someone else and inflicted wounds on him. By the point folks may just separate them and forestall the fisticuffs, one individual used to be fighting to stick alive however died en path to the sanatorium.
Ugochukwu Iwueke, his elder son, realizing the consequences of the battle and the next loss of life of the deceased, rushed to the police station to alert safety operatives.
Alternatively, the police operatives on responsibility advised Ugochukwu to stay on the station for his personal protection and warned that irate neighbours would possibly come to a decision to assault the home and its occupants, announcing he could be more secure with them.
Quickly, the police returned to arrest the younger Iwueke over the presumed loss of life of the deceased however discovered that he used to be absent. He had fled, and to at the present time, no person is aware of his whereabouts.
The grieving circle of relatives, then again, needed to be assuaged, so the police picked up his father, then 79-year-old Pa Okereke, and took him to the police station. He joined his eldest son, Ugochukwu, who had sought safe haven on the station from irate youths, and that marked the start in their detention.
The trial Justice of the Peace within the Ihitte-Uboma department ordered their remand on the Okigwe Correctional Centre for the reason that courtroom lacked jurisdiction to maintain the case, whether or not for manslaughter or homicide, whilst the document used to be despatched to the director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for felony recommendation.
Quickly afterwards, the topic used to be introduced prior to a reliable Prime Court docket, the place Justice V.C. Ishiguzo of the Etiti/Mbano Prime Court docket ordered their conviction via placing. The courtroom discovered each males responsible and sentenced them to loss of life via placing.
Efforts via their circle of relatives to overturn the decision on the Court docket of Attraction proved abortive, because the judges upheld the verdict of the decrease courtroom.
Now frail because of age and his dwelling prerequisites on the Owerri Correctional Centre, Pa Okereke is looking for to go back to the relief of his house and the corporate of his kinsmen, popularly referred to as Umunna.
Beneath Nigerian legislation, the Controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Provider can not unencumber the octogenarian however can best counsel that the state governor or the President grant him a prerogative of mercy.
As convicted inmates watching for execution, Pa Okereke and his son have limited get admission to to guests, together with public-spirited Nigerians who want to intrude within the topic.
He does no longer even know whether or not his spouse, who suffers from age-related diseases, continues to be alive or has died from the trauma of shedding her husband and son to the Owerri correctional centre.
He now not recollects the faces of his grandchildren, who can not consult with him as a result of they’re minors and the legislation forbids their access into correctional centres.
His Umunna have since stopped visiting him, most likely because of disgrace or the top price of transportation from his fatherland in Ihitte-Uboma native govt house.
Maximum of his age-mates who perceive the case have died, whilst the others are grappling with age-related headaches.
Handiest not too long ago, Evangelist Christian Chuka held an outreach programme within the Owerri Correctional Centre and highlighted Okereke’s plight.
The cleric had warned of serious penalties for Imo State if the octogenarian used to be left to die in custody.
In the meantime, resources showed that, following the visuals aired at the nationwide tv station Stand up Tv, the State director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had visited the Owerri Correctional Centre to interview Pa Everestus and his son, Ugochukwu. The DPP had additionally briefed the State Legal professional-Basic.
An Owerri-based legal professional, Chinedu Agu, mentioned that despite the fact that they’d been convicted via a State Prime Court docket, the case might be revisited via submitting an enchantment on the Ultimate Court docket, announcing, “No different treatment except going to the Ultimate Court docket.”
“However the Governor can depend on his constitutional powers to grant a pardon, after which grant the person a pardon, particularly given his age and the way lengthy he has spent in detention,” Agu posited.
In the meantime, the manager director of the Rule of Legislation and Responsibility Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, mentioned the tale of Pa Everestus used to be deeply troubling and demanded pressing consideration from the state govt.
He mentioned there have been troubling allegations about their arrests and convictions if those have been according to against the law dedicated via someone else, despite the fact that connected to the circle of relatives.
Nwanguma mentioned, “The reported case of 89-year-old Pa Everestus Okereke and his son, Ugochukwu, is deeply troubling and merits pressing consideration from the Imo State Govt and the related justice establishments.
Nwangumma additional mentioned , “We needless to say the 2 males have spent a couple of decade in custody and have been ultimately sentenced to loss of life. There also are hectic allegations that their arrest are from an incident involving some other son who reportedly fled after a deadly altercation.
“RULAAC would need the entire information and courtroom data tested prior to creating a definitive pronouncement at the deserves in their conviction. Legal duty is private, and no person must be arrested, prosecuted or punished simply as a result of the true suspect is unavailable or on account of his dating with an alleged wrongdoer.
“On the similar time, an 89-year-old guy who has already spent roughly ten years in custody and is now below sentence of loss of life gifts an exceptionally compelling humanitarian case.”
Moreover, he referred to as at the Imo State Governor and the State Advisory Council at the Prerogative of Mercy to urgently evaluation the case and workout the prerogative of mercy in favour of the octogenarian and his incarcerated son.
Nwanguma mentioned, “We due to this fact enchantment to Governor Hope Uzodimma and the Imo State Advisory Council at the Prerogative of Mercy to urgently evaluation the case. If there are not any remarkable felony impediments, we might urge the Governor to workout the constitutional prerogative of mercy via granting Pa Okereke a pardon or commuting his sentence and facilitating his unencumber.
“We similarly name for a evaluation of his son’s case, specifically the proof upon which he used to be convicted and the standing of any appeals.
“This isn’t about trivialising the loss of life that gave upward push to the felony lawsuits or dismissing the rights of the deceased’s circle of relatives. It’s about making sure that justice is individualised, proportionate and tempered with humanity.
“At 89, after a couple of decade in the back of bars, preserving Pa Okereke on loss of life row serves little discernible corrective or rehabilitative goal. The Imo State Govt must act urgently and humanely,” Nwanguma mentioned.
For Pa Everestus and his son, Ugochukwu, their destiny lies within the fingers of the Imo State Govt, which should come to a decision whether or not to revisit the case, believe the octogenarian’s age and let him stroll loose, or permit the execution to happen. Thankfully, no Imo State Governor has appended his signature to approve the execution of any convicted individual, regardless of how weighty the crime used to be. Handiest the times forward dangle the solutions to their destiny.
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