There's one small request at the end of this story, if you can do it, you will be helping this cause. LINDA IKEJI- Some of you have
heard about Blessing Effiong. I carried her STORY
here about a month ago after reading about her in Punch. For those who have
never heard about her, let me tell you her story.
promised her I will do everything in my power to get her out. I hope to keep that promise..I already have a team I'm working with to make this happen...but we need more people to get involved in her case. (There are some things I can't put out here but we need all the help we can get)
According to Blessing
(this is exactly what she told me) on the morning of the 14th of July 2008, she
bought a phone from a guy around her area in Ebutte Metta for N800. It was a
Starcomms phone worth about N10k which she wanted to use to start phone
business. The same evening she bought the phone, she got a call on the phone
from some guy who said the phone belonged to him, that he was robbed and
dispossessed of it a few days back. Blessing offered to return the phone back to
the guy on the condition that she will get her N800 back. The man promised her
the money back and she gave him her address. The man showed up a few hours later
with police.
Blessing was first
taken to Ilupeju Police station where she was kept for a few days. Then on the
18th of August she was transferred to State CID Panti where she was kept for a
while. She was then charged to magistrate court Ikeja, from where the magistrate
remanded her in Kirikiri prisons to await advice from the Director of Public
Persecution. The advise didn't come until 2012. And his advice was for her to be
charged under section 427 of the criminal code. (Crime about receiving stolen
property).
Then her story became
public after a Punch reporter accompanied the Attorney-General of the state, Mr.
Ade Ipaye, and representatives of the Office of the Public Defender on a visit
to the prisons to evaluate the number of awaiting trial persons there. 3+ years
awaiting trial. Sad, huh?
Well, some of us got involved
and she's finally been charged to court for receiving of stolen
property before a High Court of Lagos State sitting at Igbosere. Her case came
up today 23rd May 2012, but the prison authorities did not bring Blessing to court, so the
Judge adjourned to the 14th of June, 2012.
I will be in
court that day, anyone else if free to come. It's the Igbosere high court on
Lagos Island.
For those who
are curious about her family, Blessing is an orphan. Her father died when she
was very young and her mother died just last year. She told me her
incarceration led to her mum's death. She was her only daughter. Blessing
has two brothers but they are in the East and as helpless as she is.
When she's finally released,
Blessing will be needing a lot of help. Will keep y'all updated.
Thanks for reading.
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