89 year Old Man, Son Languish in Imo Prison for Over 10 Years After Fugitive Son Fled Murder Case
An evangelist, Christian Chukwuka, has raised the alarm over the plight of an aged man and his first son who have been languishing in an Imo State prison for over 10 years over an alleged murder involving his runaway son.
According to Chukwuka, the aged man’s son was involved in a fight with another person, which allegedly resulted in the death of the other person.
The son reportedly fled after the incident, but the father and his first son were arrested and detained while authorities searched for the fleeing suspect.
More than a decade later, the two men remain behind bars, Chukwuka said, describing their continued incarceration as a grave humanitarian and human rights concern.
In a video clip shared on X by social influencer @ChuksEricE, the aged man and his detained son were seen clutching the evangelist in an event supposedly organized in the prison recently.
Speaking in a local dialect, the elderly man recounted the incident, saying his son and another person were fighting, and he did not know what happened, and the other boy died.
He said his son ran away, after which he and his eldest son were arrested and “dumped in prison” because he had nobody to speak for him.
He alleged that the police and his accusers implicated his eldest son so that nobody would do anything to seek justice for them.
Chukwuka has now called on the Imo State Government, relevant authorities and concerned individuals to intervene urgently by ensuring that the matter is properly reviewed and the needful is done.
The case highlights the plight of many awaiting-trial inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities, where overcrowding and prolonged detention without trial have drawn repeated condemnation from rights groups. Legal experts say no one should be punished for the actions of a fleeing relative, and that detention without trial for over a decade violates the presumption of innocence.
For the aged man and his son, the years behind bars have become a life sentence without conviction. Their hope now rests on the intervention of authorities, legal aid organisations and well-meaning Nigerians.
