I lost my granddaughter after Patience Jonathan ordered her mother’s detention – 78-year-old woman

Ibiamina Igbiri, 78-year-old mother of Deborah Erema, who is one of the 15 people remanded in prison since 2019 for allegedly stealing Mrs Patience Jonathan’s jewellery speak to CHUKWUDI AKASIKE and TEMITOPE ADETUNJI about the pain she has suffered due to the imprisonment of her daughter since 2019

How old are you?

My name is Ibiamina Igbiri. I am 78 years old.

Where are you from?

I am from Okirika in Rivers State.

What is the relationship between you and Deborah Erema who is currently in prison?

She is my daughter.

Can you remember when she was arrested and remanded in prison?

My daughter was arrested in 2019.

What were you told was her offence?

They said she was among those who stole the property of Mrs Patience Jonathan, wife of the former President, Goodluck Jonathan.

But can you vouch for your daughter that she is not a thief?

Yes, I can. My daughter is not a thief. Even on the day they said the jewellery was stolen, she was not around; she went for a crusade.

How old is your daughter and what is the relationship between her and the former president’s wife?

She is 57 years old. My daughter was working for Mrs Jonathan before she was arrested on the allegation that she was among the people who stole the former first lady’s jewellery. But I have insisted that my daughter cannot steal anyone’s property.

Do you think she has been given any opportunity to defend herself?

She said in court that she knew nothing about the theft of the jewellery, but nobody listened to her. As I said, my daughter can never be involved in such an act. The day the incident happened, she was in Mgbidi for a church crusade.

Why do you think they refused to listen to her?

I don’t know.

How was she arrested?

Before she returned from the church crusade, some arrests had already been made. When she came back from the church, she went back to Bayelsa State. It was in Bayelsa State that she was arrested in 2019 and taken to Port Harcourt.

Did your daughter get the service of a lawyer to represent her in court after she was arrested and prosecuted?

Yes.

Do you think the process was properly handled in court?

The case was not handled the way it should have been because the moment they took them (my daughter and others) to court, they would adjourn and leave. That was what they were doing. It was only a few times they allowed them to speak. After my daughter and others were allowed to speak, the court called witnesses from Madam Patience’s side. After that, my daughter and the others were sent back to prison again.

How has life been like for you since Deborah was taken to prison in 2019?

Some people went to plead with her (Madam Patience), but she did not listen to them. Deborah lost her first daughter; that was my granddaughter, while in prison. Her absence has affected the family. Things have not been easy for me. Also, I nearly lost my life because of my daughter’s continued stay in prison. That is why I went to my son’s place, so he could take care of me.

Is your daughter married?

She is not legally married.

How has this affected your health, emotions, and daily living?

Since she was taken away, I have not been myself. I have been begging for food. I have been ill, which is why I was taken to my son’s place in Rivers State.

Have you been able to visit her in prison?

No, my son did so once on my behalf. I have never visited that place. Things have been very difficult for me since my daughter was remanded in prison. It has been like that since 2019 when she was arrested. But sometimes I buy food and send it to her, or sometimes I send her money. Feeding has not been easy.

What has your family done to ensure Deborah’s release?

My son went and met the King of Okrika and discussed it with him. He promised to call some chiefs, and together with my son, they would go to Abuja and meet former President Jonathan. He (the King of Okrika) gave my son and other relatives a date to come. They went there on the date he gave them. After that day, he could not listen to them again. He said they should tell my sister to bring whatever she had in her custody, but they defended my daughter and said, “No, she has nothing with her.” They also said she was not happy staying in that prison and that if she had something in her custody, she would have surrendered it. She would not like to continue staying there.

They told the king that she wasn’t guilty of the allegations against her. My son and other relatives also told the king that she had gone for a church crusade in Mgbidi and knew nothing about the incident.

Why do you think the king changed his mind about discussing the matter with the former president so that your daughter would be released?

I don’t know. Up until now, my son and the others have not been able to have access to the king for further discussion on the release of my daughter. My son spoke with the king’s aide to know the way forward, but he pleaded with my son to give him time so that he could speak to the king about the matter.

Later, the king’s aide called my son and told him to send our family members’ names to him, and that the king would call them for a meeting, which my son did. But up till now, he has not called. That is how the situation stands.

When did you meet the king for help?

That was about two years ago.

Have you reached out to any human rights organisation or government official about the continued remand of your daughter in prison?

No.

Why? Is it that you don’t have the means to reach out to them?

I do not have the opportunity to do so. My son has met with one of his younger brothers, who is a lawyer. When he discussed it with him, the lawyer promised to call another lawyer from Bayelsa so that they could bring the case to Port Harcourt, where they could make an appeal. But the lawyer could not fulfil the promise, perhaps because of the work he had at hand.

Do you have any other evidence to prove that the allegation against your daughter was false, apart from the claim that she went for a crusade on the day the incident happened?

Whenever my daughter wanted to travel, she would take permission from Mrs Jonathan. Mrs Jonathan would grant her permission before she could travel. Sometimes, Mrs Jonathan would tell her to hand over the key to Mama F. Whenever she came back, she would go to Mama F to get back the key. That was what she did.

I can remember that sometimes Mrs Jonathan would keep money with my daughter, but my daughter would never touch that money. She would even be afraid of leaving that money in her custody. She would call her to tell her to collect her money.

She (Mrs Jonathan) would then call someone to come and take the money from my daughter. So, if my daughter were a bad person, she would have taken that money. My daughter has never taken her pin. So, I was upset when they brought this allegation against her.

Was Mama F among those arrested in 2019?

No. She was not arrested. She is Madam’s (Mrs Jonathan’s) friend.

Since the incident happened, have you been able to reach out to former President Jonathan to intervene in the matter?

Actually, that has not been done. We don’t know the process to reach him.

What is your biggest fear if your daughter remains in prison much longer than she already has?

My biggest fear is that if she continues to stay in prison, it will make me suffer even more. It will also continue to affect everyone in the family. I remember her youngest daughter was small when she was sent to prison. You can imagine how old she is now. The girl has completed her secondary education without her mother’s presence. She has not seen her mother since she was taken away.

How old is the daughter?

She is 16 years old.

How many children does she have?

She has four children, and she was the only person catering for them before she was arrested.

What is your message to the government on this matter?

The government should help the family to see that my daughter is released from prison. We really need help.

How do you feel about the continuous adjournment of the case since 2019?

The way I see it, it is like she (Mrs Patience Jonathan) is influencing them. That is why the court doesn’t sit. Whenever they (my daughter and others) go to court, they will adjourn.

Is there any other thing you want to say concerning this matter?

What she is doing is injustice. We need justice over this matter. The court knows the right thing to do. So, it should do the needful.