How I was falsely accused by police, imprisoned for 14 years — Pastor

Chinedu Eze, a 43-year-old pastor with Mountain of Fire and Miracles (Worldwide), has described how he was imprisoned for 14 years as a result of his alleged refusal to cooperate with police on a matter he insisted he knew nothing about.

However, he claimed that thanks to the work of Christ Embassy Church, out of the 996 prisoners, he was able to enrol for the Senior School Certificate Exam while incarcerated and eventually earn a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the National Open University of Nigeria.

Eze claimed that while incarcerated, he wrote seven books and about 157 songs while in detention.

Eze, a native of Enugu State, claimed he was released on May 2, 2019.

He continued by saying that he was detained and taken to the Kuje Correctional Services by some police officers who had approached him sometime in 2005 about testifying as a prosecution witness in an unrelated case.

He addressed the media at the non-governmental organisation Silver Lining for The Needy Initiative’s 14th anniversary gala. The organisation works with vulnerable populations in Nigeria.

Hauwa Abass, the organization’s founder, promised to keep fighting for justice in Nigeria and helping the less fortunate.

Eze claimed that he was asked to testify against a police officer who was having problems with his superiors. He expressed gratitude to the SNLI for assisting him in obtaining his freedom, claiming that he had already given up before the group intervened.

He claimed, “I was put in prison as a result of a situation involving a police officer who had problems with his superiors and they wanted to punish him. I was approached by some police officers who wanted to use me as evidence against him in court. But I informed them that I was unable to testify against him because I lacked any background information on the case.

“Emmanuel Abazie, one of the policemen, warned me that if I didn’t cooperate, I would regret it. I initially thought it was just a threat. I never anticipated that it would send me to jail. They had hidden my file when I got to the prison. I stayed there for four years with no court cases or paperwork. I had to endure a 14-year torturous ordeal while I was awaiting trial.

While he was imprisoned, Eze claimed he continued his education despite his situation.

He claimed that after taking the SSCE administered by the West African Examinations Council, he graduated from NOUN with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“I received seven credits without English,” Eze claimed. I retook the exam the following year, and this time I received nine distinctions, including in English and Mathematics.

“Because there was no university when I took the WAEC, I had no intention of continuing my education there. However, I saw it as a divine arrangement when, two years after I took the WAEC, representatives from the National Open University and Christ Embassy visited the prison and announced that they were looking for people who met the requirements and had what it took to enrol in the university. There were 31 people total, including me. In the Kuje prison, there were roughly 996 of us.

I was one of the 31 people who qualified for a scholarship, so that’s how I got accepted to study peace and conflict resolution.

He emphasised the need for Nigerians to shed the idea that everyone serving time in prison committed a crime, but he also noted that many of those serving time had no business being there in the first place.

According to Eze, “My incident occurred between 2005 and 2019.” In 2017, the SLNI arrived, and by that point, I had given up. I spoke with the founder, Hauwa Abass, when they arrived. She then had a conversation with a member of her legal team, a Barrister Muhammad, who went to the court and found my file—that is how my file was found—and she also spoke with another member of the team. Later, Muhammad visited the prison and informed me that my case was at this point. From there, we continued. I was released on May 2, 2019, after roughly two years of my interaction with them.

There are approximately 70 inmates who have been found guilty when you visit the prison, but there are also 900 people who are still awaiting trial. When the Chief Judge paid a visit to the prison recently, a police officer who had been charged (while I was there) was freed. Due to his disagreements with his superiors, that police officer was merely set up, and he was held in custody for about 18 years while he was tried.

Eze claimed that he started writing and creating music while in detention and added that he had created about seven books.

“I believe I will meet people who will help me publish one of the books, which is titled “14 Years in Prison” and is about my experience. Additionally, my debut album was released in December of last year. I had about 157 songs that I had written while in jail, but now I have 160.