Forget not the Prisoners!

It was during my Court attachment as a Law School student, a lady was brought into the Court premises in a van with a plethora of prison wardens. Except for the dull disposition, she would pass for a beautiful woman any day. About 5 feet 8 inches tall, light skinned with bright eyes, a flat tummy and a toned body she was certainly the cynosure of all eyes in the Court premises that day. What could this beauty be guilty of?

As people starred and debated, I moved closer to have a better view and instantly I realized I knew her. I couldn’t remember her name. I walked straight up to her anyway and amidst the tight security I reintroduced myself: “Hello ma, Omowunmi Aderoba, Prison unit, The Fountain of Life Church”. Instantly, an amazing glow came upon her and she hugged me tightly, laughing excitedly and saying repeatedly, I’m so happy to see you’. And though I wasn’t half as excited as she was, I joined in the hearty laughter and reciprocated the hug equally as tight as though we were long lost friends.

My colleagues stood afar off, watching us talk and laugh excitedly and itching to know how on earth I knew the accused… I met her just once the year before on a visit to the Kirikiri female prison with members of the Fountain of Life Church. She was one of the leaders of the Christian Fellowship in the Prison. I guess she was just happy to have someone identify with her outside the prison walls. She talked of her unwavering faith in God to vindicate her and make the Court proceedings go well.

And indeed, the case would have gone well but for the shoddy lawyer... The judge was magnanimous enough to accommodate his shoddiness in other to do justice to the matter. The case was adjourned without much done and after that day I forgot about the lady and her case! (I informed the prison unit of my Church about the Court’s proceedings though).

I no longer attend the Fountain of Life Church regularly because I moved out of jurisdiction and in my new church there’s no Prison unit. Prison unit or not, I seem to have forgotten that my desire to study law was birth out of a desire to advocate for the masses, to be a voice for the voiceless and to defend the undefended.  Since my call to Bar, I’ve done nothing about this sect of people rather I now advocate and solicit for companies and the elites…

Today, I remind myself not to forget the prisoners. It’s not just about legal aid now but also about showing them love. Prisoners are like you and me. Indeed, we might say some of them deserve imprisonment but a plethora of them are like you and I. Many of us have committed similar or even greater offences and yet by a stroke of faith, we walk freely. The pathetic irony is that in our society today, a man steals a tuber of yam and is jailed yet another steals billions of Naira in government and is a freeman…

It appears as though we easily remember the physically challenged, the motherless and the widows and aged but we somehow forget those whose Spirit, Soul and body have been imprisoned… The Bible is clear on this issue. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners (Hebrews 13:3. See also Matthew 25:36)

I write this to remind myself never to forget them, never to forget the reason I studied law and perhaps, to also nudge YOU and hope that you would remember to visit the prison in your next outreach.*smile*.

Long live the virtues of Charles Colson (Founder, Prison Ministry)!

Long Live the Prison Unit of The Fountain of Life Church!

And three happy cheers to all whom after reading this, would do something!

Cheers!