The Plight of Citizen Anayo Anusiem (Part One]
"Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?" (Job 20:4- 5).
There is no conjecture in 'the fact that the wicked must not go unpunished. Dele Giwa of blessed memory was absolutely correct when he asserted that the victory of evil over good is only but temporary; as any evil done to man by man must surely be redressed, irrespective of what I have chosen to call the days of grace, which the wicked might enjoy for an opportunity to repent. What Mr. Anayo Anusiem, an indigene of Umuokwana kindred in Okwe Nguru autonomous community in Aboh Mbaise LGA of Imo State, is presently experiencing in Owerri prisons, is to say the least, sympathetic.
Anayo, 32, a Mass Communication graduate of Imo State University, has been in detention for five years for being "short, yellow with sparkling eyes". This was the description given to the police by a member of staff of the state's Judiciary said to be a Magistrate, who accused Anayo of robbery attack on him.
According to the complainant, Anayo was one of the motorcyclists who robbed him of his official car, a Toyota Corolla with registration number IMSJ 94, in 2010. On a day in 2011, Anayo had no premonition that he would be taken to the gulag from the Ikenegbu branch of GTB Bank where he went in the company of his associates for bank transaction.
It was at 'this bank that the Magistrate identified Anayo as a crime suspect. I think the actual suspect in this case should be the Almighty God who created some human beings to look like one another. I can't remember how many times people whom I never knew from Adam, stopped me on the way and ask questions such as; are you so and so?
Are you a brother to this person or related to somebody I don't know? How could somebody tell the police that I am tall, dark with dull eyes, therefore, I should be a crime suspect and kept in prison to waste away? Anayo Anusiem was billed to be in court on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, nine months after his last court appearance. But he could not make it. Not only because his sick wife could not access the authorities in charge for his production warrant, but the court as usual, was not in session.
This has been the story, and as it stands now only God knows when Anayo would be told to get ready for his case to be heard in court. One out of the two boys God blessed Anayo and his wife, Glory with. was three months old when his daddy was thrown into jail. The elder, David who was two years at the time could recognize his father with the "short and yellow" features, but not same with Daniel who would take anybody for his father, especially when the issue of “Sparkling eyes" is the basis of distinction.
Mrs. Glory Anusiem, the bemused wife of Anayo, had in a petition to the Chief Judge of Imo State, cried to the authorities that these two children were waiting patiently for their father who has been standing trial for the past five years. These kids and their mom might have been patient all these while. I do not want to be made to believe that they still are. Nobody can make them to be. They have completely run out of patience. The only solution to their predicament is their father's freedom. God blessed them with a hardworking father who was gainfully employed before the devil came calling.
These children need the good things of life. Their school fees need to be paid. Their destinies should not be allowed to be sacrificed. Moreover, Madam Glory should not be exposed to amorous and morally debased men who would be lurking around to take advantage of her. Besides, Anayo's aged mother needs care. Glory also told the Chief Judge, thus: "Sir, I have two children for Anayo Anusiern, calling, yelling and hoping to see their father one day who is suffering over what he knows nothing about. The complainant's identification of my husband is very funny and laughable. If I may quote him Sir, 'the person who robbed me is fair and short like this man'. Commonsensicality Sir is it only my husband who is short and fair?
Yet my husband has been languishing in prison custody for the past 5 years. Since these 5 years, the complainant has been keeping my husband in custody, suffering me and my children unnecessarily; feeding has become a big problem, shelter a night-mare, let alone education and other necessities of life.
There is God ooo! There is God cool! It is not good oooo!””’’’ God is watching ooo!!! . How else could a woman express her pains? God is not only watching, He will make all responsible reap what they sowed. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Unarguably, Glory’s pain is palpable.
A man with the spirit of God would appreciate the depression she is going through. She has refused to be comforted because she knows what her husband represents. And Glory is not ignorant of the fact that the complainant’s driver accused alongside her husband has been walking around a free man. She is also aware of the stance of the police on the matter after investigations.
According to her, "the police neither found anything incriminating against my husband nor his friends". All of these compound her case. We should feel for her. Glory, while begging the Chief Judge, said: "Please Sir, I appeal to you to come to our rescue and save my life and that of my children. We are suffering much. Release my husband, let the complainant come and say it is my husband and prove it, than keeping my husband permanently in custody". I join Glory, David and Daniel to appeal to Imo Chief Judge and Imo Governor to do the needful; I call on all children of God to pray for this family.