My 2-yr-hell over rape, armed robbery, murder charges By Ebun Sessou

Daniel Patrick, 34, sang and danced to special tunes on a day he will live to remember. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I was once lost, but now I’ve been found. Before, I was blind, but now, I can see. I can see.”
It was indeed amazing grace for Patrick, for being among the 50 inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons who graduated with diploma at the Life Recovery Empowerment Programme, Onesimus Project, a partnership programme between  Prison Fellowship Nigeria, Covenant University, Nigeria Prisons Service, and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN.
The programme, initiated eight years ago, was aimed at transforming the lives of prisoners and making them responsible citizens. It is also intended to be an avenue to reduce prison shuttle; arrest and re-arrest of inmates in the communities, as well as narrowing the gates of prisons in the society.
Narrating his story, Patrick said he got to Kirikiri Prisons two years ago on false charges of rape of a teenage girl, robbery and murder.
“I was a trader before I had this problem. I’ve lost my wife and belongings as a result of this problem. My five-year-old son has been denied fatherly affection because of this. My mum, who resides in the North, is the one taking care of my only son. I have been ‘awaiting trial’ for two years. I’ve lost hope of freedom until I took part in the Onesimus programme.
“So, when I was given the chance to be part of this program, I felt it was the real reason I have come to prison.
“One of my cell mates, who went through the empowerment programme, told me how his state of hopelessness was turned around into a new life of hope.
“We were about 99 inmates in the male ward that enrolled for the program but just 25 were admitted. Apart from the vocational training, we were taught anger management and general well-being. Before the programme, I used to be temperamental, but the programme has helped me to deal with my anger problem”.
Patrick, who revealed that his business crumbled as a result of his imprisonment, lamented how he lost his belongings and apartment in Lagos because he became financially crippled. “But I am hopeful now that God will give me a new life,” he said.
Before he became a prisoner, the inmate said he was a singer in his church, and that his passion for music had grown while he was in prison. Now, he writes songs and leads choristers at the Kirikiri Prisons.
Another inmate, a banker, in her 40s, who pleaded anonymity, narrated how she regained lost hope through the programme. “When I got into prison, I thought it was the end of life, but when I was admitted into the Onesimus programme, I went through lots of changes, both financially and otherwise.
“I was working in a bank until I had issues with the bank. That was what brought me to the prison. “Today, Onesimus has taught me how to manage my life, family and business. When I was working as a banker, I tried some businesses but they failed. Now, with this training, I am well informed on how to be successful in business. I have been taught how to write business proposals as well as sourcing for loan. I was also taught how to bake, make clothes, beads and other things,” she said.
Sharing her prison experience, she stated, “It is not palatable. At first, I wanted to kill myself but when I got to the prison, I saw that some cases were worse than mine. So, I mustered courage. I believe there is life after imprisonment.”
Another prisoner, Emmanuel Uzonu, told Sunday Vanguard that the Onesimus programme had impacted positively on his life. “I am now a better person in terms of anger and stress management. I have also learnt how to make liquid soap, cake, scotch egg, chin chin, doughnut and bread as well as decoration and bead making.”
I’ll fated search
Narrating how he got to Kirikiri Prisons, he said, “I came to Lagos in search of an old female friend. Unfortunately, I was trapped by her male friend who was a police officer. I was beaten and taken to a police station. The policeman accused me of stealing and I was charged with theft. I was charged to court and, since then, I have been in the prison. That was March 14, 2014. I have been on awaiting trial since then.
Before my present situation, I was working in CBN, Abuja, in the Economic Department. My wife and five children live in Abuja. I believe that one day, I will see them again”.
Another prisoner, Mrs. Ngozi Helen, 56, from Delta State, has also been on trial for four years. She was involved in drug trafficking and was caught on her way to England in 2010. She was released and re-arrested in 2014 on her way back to Nigeria from the United States. “I believe God has a plan for me which was why I was re-arrested because I had stopped drug trafficking by the second time I was arrested. Perhaps, God wanted me to learn in a hard way for me to become an instrument of change to others.
“So, when I came in contact with this empowerment programme, I knew that was the turning point I needed. The programme brought me closer to God and, above all, made me to rediscover myself. Initially, my three children and family members felt bad but today the sore is getting healed”.
The Coordinator of the programme, Pastor Sule Bamigbola, said the programme was to make prisoners to re-discover themselves and give them a genuine means of livelihood in order to be  useful to themselves and the society.
“We want to ensure that Nigerian youths do not become prisoners, rather, they should be responsible people who are gainfully employed. Most people commit crime as a result of negative emotional influence. We also engaged the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, to help  teach them vocational training and various business programmes. Then the Nigerian Prisons Service gives us prisoners that are trained while the Prison Fellowship Nigeria provides mentors to mentor the prisoners.”
He disclosed that they tried to identify those whose jail term would terminate in six months, but added that because there were more prisoners awaiting trial in the programme.
“Fortunately this year, the majority of the inmates that are graduating from the the programme are those whose jail terms would expire in six months.”
On ways of monitoring the inmates after gaining freedom, Bamigbola said: “There is After-Care Department of the Onesimus project that monitor their progress. There is a fellowship called Jubilee Fellowship which makes them to integrate more, so we monitor them through the After-Care Department of the Prison Fellowship Nigeria. We have good records of many of them who are doing well now. One of them, Mrs Mercy Williams, lives in Owerri, she is into bead and hat making.
“Another person, Hope Michael, lives in Ogba; she is into mat making. Another person is into agriculture in Edo State and has been able to access funds through SMEDAN.
“Mentoring is a major issue that has to do with taking care of these people, providing them with logistics that would make them have a sense of belonging”.