Death-row inmate Celestine Egbunuche has been dubbed Nigeria's "oldest prisoner" amid a campaign calling for his release. He is 100 years old and has spent 18 years in jail after being found guilty of organising a murder. Small and slightly hunched over, he looks wistfully into space as he sits on a tightly packed bench inside a stuffy prison visitor's room.
Dressed in a white T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, he lifts his head slowly - his way of acknowledging our presence.But otherwise he remains quiet during our visit - in stark contrast to the rest of the room that is filled with loud chatter at Enugu Maximum Security Prison in south-east Nigeria.
His son Paul Egbunuche, 41, sits protectively close to him - and does the talking. He is in jail on the same murder charge.
They were both accused of hiring people to kidnap and kill a man over an alleged land dispute in Imo state.
Paul maintains their innocence. They were detained in June 2000 and eventually convicted and sentenced to death in 2014. It has not been possible to contact the family of the man who was killed - even the Nigeria prison service has been unable to find them.
GUYS, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Jesse Osayande Vucinic Ehiagwina
If they committed a crime then they should stay but knowing how our justice system convicts innocent people a lot how sure are we that they got the right people?
They police could just assume that since they had a big dispute with the deceased then they're automatically responsible for the crime.
Wouldn't be beyond them
They police could just assume that since they had a big dispute with the deceased then they're automatically responsible for the crime.
Wouldn't be beyond them
Olatunji Lawal Gbolahan
Mr Endy Edeson
You claimed this man is found guilty the crime committed, soo what is the plee about.
You claimed this man is found guilty the crime committed, soo what is the plee about.
Olatunji Lawal Gbolahan
We all know, the law doesn't know about age. Once you are guilty, u face the full wrought of the law.
Olatunji Lawal Gbolahan
is like you r close to them?
