Innocent man regains freedom after spending 2 years in prison for helping a neighbor who overdosed on drugs to the hospital

A man identified as Chidiebere Onwumere has regained his freedom, 2 years after being wrongly imprisoned for causing the death of Uzochi Chinyere, a neighbor he rushed to the hospital, following a drug overdose in Abia State.

Speaking with with AFN, on Tuesday, he recounted how it happened saying, “I got home that day, around 6pm, only to see my neighbour lying helpless and I decided to assist her to the hospital with the help of other neighbors. A pastor who resides within the neighborhood, took us with his car to a nearby hospital called Shiloh hospital, where the doctor asked us to deposit N5000 to conduct a text that would determine exactly what was wrong with her.

I and some other neighbours contributed the money. When the result came out, the doctor told us that she was on substance overdose and was knocked out by the illegal substance. He assured us that she would be well again.

However, the next morning, Mr Promise, the deceased’s elder brother, arrived the hospital and insisted on taking her away to another hospital against the doctor’s advice. After a few days, he came back to our compound and took me to World Bank police station, Aba, where he handed me over to the police, claiming that I beat his sister to death.

Despite pleas that my hands were clean and that there was a doctor’s report stating that their sister died of substance abuse, Promise insisted and filed a murder charge against me. I was arraigned on suit no. U/520c/2016 and remanded in prison custody since June 2016. It was one Barrister Jerry Uzosike that God used to vindicate and bring me out of prison.”