ACJL Success Story

Nnamdi (fictional name) is a 22-year-old commercial bus driver, who lived in his family house in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State. Before Nnamdi’s arrest and detention in the Custodial centre, he had a mini-bus on hire purchase.

After the days work on the 20th of July 2020, while relaxing in a beer parlour, Nnamdi was approached by a friend who wanted to sell his phone, he bargained for the phone and bought it for thirty thousand Naira only (N30,000) with a promise to collect the sales receipt at a future date. Nnamdi paid his friend twenty thousand Naira (N20,000) being part-payment for the phone and promised to pay the balance of ten thousand Naira (N10,000) when a receipt is made available. Nnamdi took the phone with him unknown that he has a stolen phone.

Within seven (7) days he purchased the phone, Police officers from the Enugu state criminal investigation department (CID) accosted him at Holy Ghost motor park in Enugu, where he was arrested and taken to the police state CID and detained for the allegation of robbery. Nnamdi narrated to the Police how he bought the phone through a friend, to substantiate his claims, he took them to his friend’s house, but his friend was nowhere to be found.

Without any means of substantiating Nnamdi’s claims, he was arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court Enugu East on the 6th of August 2020 for the offence of robbery and assault; he was denied bail and remanded in the custodial centre. He could not afford the services of a lawyer and his case was stagnant. During one of his court appearances, the attention of the CAPIO legal team was drawn to his case, he was interviewed and CAPIO rendered free legal services to him.

CAPIO legal team ensured his case was assigned to a new court after the initial Magistrate handling the matter was elevated. Provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) were activated and Nnamdi was granted bail on the 19th of July 2021 and subsequently discharged on Friday 19th September 2021.

It seemed like a miracle to Nnamdi when the court discharged him and he appreciated CAPIO legal team for their free legal representation. Delete the rest. without which, his bail and discharge wouldn’t have been possible.

The Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization (CAPIO) appreciates Misean Cara for funding the ACJL project.