.The 29th May 2022 marked a year since Osaze Osemwigie Ero got his freedom after 18 months of incarceration in Italy. Mr Ero’s efforts since his release to prove the innocence of many Nigerians arrested in Italy has led, to date, to the release of up to a 100 Nigerians from Italian prisons.
Now back in Edo State, Osaze Ero stated his surprise on finding out about the prison situation at home. “I am not a lawyer”, he said, “but seeing people serving 3 months prison sentence for N20,000 fine, 1 year for N50,000 and 2 years for N100,000.00 is not correct”. Last week to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his release, he raised N2m from friends and well-wishers to release inmates who could not pay their fines from Oko prison, Edo State. He was able to secure the release of 8 people after paying their fines.
The ex-commissioner stated after his release in Italy, that Nigerians incarcerated overseas are not given proper representation; he witnessed it first-hand. He took his message to the head of Nigerian Diaspora Affairs, Abike Dabiri, and the Nigerian ambassadors in the relevant international countries. Things are moving, but not quick enough, because the families involved are suffering greatly.
At the event to release Oko prisoners last week, was the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Andrew Emwanta. Mr Emwanta stated the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of Edo residents, pledging to sustain partnership with the convener on this initiative. He charged the freed inmates to stay off crime and leverage the training and employment opportunities provided by the state government through the state’s skills development agency, EdoJobs.
Osaze Ero thanked him and said, “I am very glad that God is using me to do this and reach out to humanity”. He also thanked everyone from the Diaspora who had donated.
