Bishop Onah Celebrates 70th Birthday With Nsukka Inmates

The Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, marked his 70th birthday by celebrating with inmates of the Nsukka Custodian Centre and providing a new borehole to address the facility’s water shortage.

Onah also dedicated a new church built by the Nsukka Catholic Diocese within the custodial centre and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 11 people, comprising inmates and staff of the facility.

In his sermon during the dedication, the bishop urged the inmates to remain thankful to God despite their circumstances, saying, “In all things there is a need to give thanks always to the Almighty.”

He expressed concern over the prolonged detention of some inmates awaiting trial, noting that some had spent more time in custody than the period they would have served if convicted under the law.

“Some of the ways to decongest this centre is to set innocent ones free as well as decriminalised minor offences,” Onah said.

Detailing the borehole project, the bishop revealed that he redirected a personal birthday gift offer from Hon. Chidi Obetta, the member representing Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, straight to the custodial facility upon learning of their utility emergency.

“Recently, I was told that the borehole in the centre spoiled and inmates are now suffering to get water with only one water tanker supplying water daily.

“So, I am happy they have started work on that borehole yesterday, it is my birthday gift to the centre,” he said.

Onah expressed appreciation to those who joined him at the centre to mark his birthday and prayed God to bless them abundantly.

Responding, the Enugu State Controller of Corrections, Mr Valins Obizue, thanked the bishop for his continued support to the Nsukka Custodian Centre and appealed to him to sustain what he described as his “fatherly care.”

“On behalf of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and my C-G, I express our gratitude on the dedication of this magnificent Church building built by Nsukka Catholic Diocese.

“We also thank the Bishop immensely for all the Catholic Church have been doing in this centre for some years now to better the conditions of its inmates,” Obizue said.

He also urged the bishop to appeal to the judiciary in the state to support the decongestion of the centre through jail delivery and the decriminalisation of minor offences, arguing that offenders convicted of minor offences should be considered for non-custodial sentencing.

“Every month, we do send list of inmates that have been detained over 180 days who supposed to be granted bail as required by law to appropriate authorities,” he said.

Earlier, the Officer-in-Charge of the Nsukka Custodian Centre, CSC Emeka Ezeaku, who is a Chief Superintendent of Corrections, appreciated Onah and the Nsukka Catholic Diocese for their continued concern for inmates.

Ezeaku said the projects undertaken by the Church would contribute to the rehabilitation and character development of inmates.

“On behalf of my Controller General of NCoS, our state controller, here present, the Nsukka Custodian Centre and our inmate, we say thank you our Daddy and Bishop for this great show of love and fatherly care.

“We owe you depth of gratitude and assure you that the centre as a community will jealously protect all amenities provided here for our good. We continue to pray for your good health and many more birthdays to come,” he said.

The celebration featured the dedication of the new church, cutting of the bishop’s birthday cake and the serving of food provided by Onah to inmates.