Nigerian
Business Magnate pays for the release of 22 inmates at Buea Central Prison
In an unprecedented
gesture, a Nigerian Business magnate and Head of the All World Igbo Community
in Cameroon, His Royal Highness Thomas Jonathan Onyengubo has paid the sum of
2.500.000 FCFA for the release of some 22 inmates from the Buea Central Prison.
This event took place on Thursday April 28, 2016 on the premises of the prison.
This cultural flag
bearer of the All World Igbo Community in Cameroon known in the Igbo Language
as Ohanaeze
Ndiigbo Cameroon is also bearer of the venerated title of Gburu Gburu 1 which literally translates
as the overall head. This explains why he is respectfully referred to as Eze Gburu
Gburu 1 of Ohanaeze Ndiigbo Cameroon.
 |
| Group Picture with the released prisoners brandishing certificates testifying their release from Prison |
Among the 22 inmates
released from the Buea Central Prison, only two of them come from his native
Nigeria. While one of the inmates comes from Chad, one also comes from Mali and
the remaining 18 from the Republic of Cameroon. All of them still had varying
lengths of time to stay in prison but due to the benevolent gesture of Eze
Thomas Jonathan Onyengubo, Gburu Gburu 1 of Ohanaeze Ndiigbo Cameroon, they
were all summarily released.
The Procureur General of the High Court in
Buea in a brush with the press said “this is an act that we highly appreciate
and that’s why we are here. We are here because many of our compatriots are
here in prison due to the nonpayment of certain dues that were supposed to be
paid. When a well wisher like this one today does what he has done, it touches
everyone; justice, the population and everyone. All of you are here because it
is an event that concerns you. We have come to give our appreciations to the
benevolence of one among us. We thank the person and his good gesture and we
will present this wonderful act to hierarchy. Our presence here is an
encouragement to others so that this initiative can be followed by other people
of good will.
For the prisoners who
are going, they should make good use of the freedom they’ve just regained and
do everything to get themselves reinserted into mainstream society. They should
make sure they don’t return to this place which I think is not agreeable. We
want to call on other Cameroonians and other Africans who can follow this step
to come and help us solve this problem because as somebody said, the
over-crowding of prisons is a problem.”
In a speech by HRH
Thomas Jonathan Onyengubo, the business magnate and cultural flag bearer,s
hinted on the fact that his was a gesture geared towards emphasising the needed
collaboration between Cameroon and Nigeria especially in the domains of
development. He said his intention was to give these inmates a new lease to
life and called on them to seize this new opportunity to once more become free
men. Hear him: “this is my own way of paying tithes. My idea of paying tithes
is not giving it to a church or to a Pastor. I believe anyone has his own way
to pay his tithes and this is my own way of paying my tithes to God. I want to
see them leaving this place and living a better life. Like Mandela they should
change and contribute towards transforming their societies. These people have
families and their embassies are also here and I believe they will be taken
care of. My sole responsibility is to get them out of this prison yard. By
God’s grace, this could turn into an annual event. Every year Gburu Gburu 1
will come here to contribute his tithes by releasing some prisoners.”
This occasion saw the
participation of State Counsels and other members of the judiciary from Muyuka,
Limbe, Tiko and Buea, towns from which the prisoners came. Apart from the
strong presence of personnel of the penitentiary there was also a cross section
of administrators and their representatives. Noticeable amongst these was the
Divisional Officer of Tiko, Ngwashi Patrick Che amongst others.
The occasion was
equally graced by colourful traditional dancing and a show of musical talents
all packaged by inmates of the Buea Central Prison.
edevnews.blogspot.com/Email: francoeko@gmail.com/ Tel: +237696896896/ +237661864369
No comments:
Post a Comment