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Celestine EgbunucheNigerian prisoner, 100, awaits pardon approval
Date of Birth: 01.01.1918
Country:  Nigeria |
Content:
- A Centenarian Prisoner Awaiting Pardon
- Imprisoned for Murder Allegations
- Insisting on Innocence
- Deteriorating Health and Care
- Life on Death Row
- Campaign for Release
- Delays and Disparities
- Poverty and Inequality
- Plea for a Pardon
A Centenarian Prisoner Awaiting Pardon
A Nigerian death-row inmate who has spent 18 years behind bars has turned 100, becoming "Nigeria's oldest prisoner." His story has sparked public outcry and raised questions about his potential pardon.
Imprisoned for Murder Allegations
Salestine Egbanuche was convicted of conspiracy to murder. The frail, stooped elderly man is imprisoned in the maximum security prison in Enugu, southeastern Nigeria. He is joined by his 41-year-old son, Paul Egbunuche, who was also imprisoned on the same charges. The men allegedly hired individuals to kidnap and kill a man in Imo State, purportedly over a land dispute.
Insisting on Innocence
Speaking to reporters in the prison visiting room, Paul vehemently maintained the innocence of both himself and his father. They were arrested in June 2000, eventually convicted, and sentenced to death in 2014. The family of the deceased person has not been located, and even Nigeria's secret service has been unable to trace anyone who could clarify the situation.
Deteriorating Health and Care
Prison officials have noted that Salestine has become largely unresponsive and confused. "When you ask him something, he may say something else," said Paul. "A doctor said my father is at an age where he could be called a pikin [child] again." At times, Egbanuche becomes disoriented, wondering who the people around him are and not recognizing his fellow inmates.
Paul stays close to his father, serving as his primary caretaker as Salestine's health has declined, including diabetes and vision problems. "The only thing I can help in doing is to feed him with unripe plantains [cooking bananas]," said Paul. "And the prison provides some medication for him."
Life on Death Row
The father and son share a cell with other death-row inmates and have little interaction with non-death-row prisoners. Paul helps his father into the yard when the prison allows them out "to touch some sunlight."
"I always talk with him, play with him," added Paul. Other prisoners also assist "Nigeria's oldest man," and many genuinely want him to be set free.
Campaign for Release
After Salestine turned 100 on August 4, 2018, a campaign began to secure his release from prison. Photos of Paul and his frail, elderly father appeared in a local newspaper. The story of the centenarian inmate generated significant controversy, including concerns about the lengthy delays faced by prisoners on death row.
Delays and Disparities
The Nigerian prison service estimates that about 2,000 people in Nigeria spend many years on death row. The state infrequently carries out executions. Only seven death sentences were carried out between 2007 and 2017, with the last one in 2016.
However, Nigerian judges continue to pronounce death sentences, especially in cases involving kidnapping, treason, and armed robbery.
Pamela Okoroigwe, a lawyer for the Legal Defense and Assistance Project (LEDAP), said, "You have people spending 30 years on death row and it is not uncommon."
"The authorities are reluctant to sign death warrants but are not in a hurry to grant pardon. That is why you have a huge number of death-row inmates."
Okoroigwe also argued that the death penalty is "punishment for the poor" and that a growing number of Nigerians oppose capital punishment.
"Have you ever seen a rich man on death row?" asked Pamela. "How many can afford a lawyer to represent them in court? But the rich when taken to court can afford to pay their way out."
Poverty and Inequality
This sentiment was echoed by Franklin Ezeona, the president of the Global Society for Anti-Corruption (GSAC), the NGO that brought Egbanuche's story to light and petitioned for his pardon.
"If Salestine were the father of a governor or minister, I don't think he would be in prison," said Ezeona. "Poverty hinders justice in most parts of Africa."
Ezeona believes that keeping prisoners on death row for decades is inhumane and counterproductive. "Everyone deserves a second chance," he added.
Ezeona hopes that the light shed on Salestine's case will encourage the government to review such cases and the justice system as a whole.
Plea for a Pardon
A pardon request for the centenarian prisoner was submitted by Imo State Attorney General Millet Nlemadim and is currently awaiting approval from Governor Rochas Okorocha. "If we can't pardon a 100-year-old man, who else can we pardon?" said the GSAC president.
Paul hopes that his father will finally be released and anticipates that any reprieve would extend to him as well, allowing him to care for Salestine outside prison. "It will make sense to him," said Paul. "It will make him rest in peace at home instead of in prison."
