A 75-year-old widow, Mrs. Celestina Amadi, has made an emotional appeal to the Imo State Government to intervene in the case of her son, David Amadi, who has spent 28 years in prison after being sentenced to death for an alleged robbery she insists he never committed.
Mrs. Amadi, a native of Abazu Akabo in Ikeduru Local Government Area, said her son was only 17 years old when he was arrested in 1998. Now 45, David remains behind bars after his conviction was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Narrating her ordeal, the grieving mother alleged that her son was arrested while attending a dance event in Uzoagba after police officers, acting on a complaint, traced and apprehended him at a funeral gathering.
She claimed that despite a search of their home, no incriminating evidence was found linking her son to the alleged robbery. According to her, another suspect was later arrested and allegedly made a confession after being subjected to torture, implicating David and others.
Mrs. Amadi maintained that no evidence presented during the trial placed her son at the scene of the robbery, adding that the complainant had testified that the perpetrators wore masks.
Despite these claims, the High Court convicted David and his co-defendants, sentencing them to death. The judgment was later affirmed by the appellate courts, exhausting their legal options.
The widow said the prolonged incarceration has devastated her family, revealing that her husband died from complications she believes were triggered by the emotional trauma of their son’s arrest and imprisonment.
She appealed to the Imo State Government to consider granting the three convicted men freedom, insisting they were victims of a miscarriage of justice.
“We want anything that can be done to secure their release because they are innocent. We want them back home,” she pleaded.
Mrs. Amadi said her family is ready to help David rebuild his life if released, including supporting him to start a business and settle down. She added that his elder brother has pledged full support towards his reintegration.
The case has renewed calls for a review of long-standing convictions where allegations of wrongful conviction and miscarriage of justice have been raised.
