House help, Lydia Joel, aged 50, who was sentenced to 7 years in prison over a missing wrapper of her employer has narrated how she was set free through the effort of a philanthropist and oil mogul, Stanley Uzochukwu few years after her imprisonment.
It could be recalled that the young philanthropist, extended his love and generosity to some prison inmates in Jos in 2016 where he influenced the release of 25 inmates including one Lydia Joel who was jailed by her boss for allegedly stealing her wrapper, an allegation Lydia had denied.
The Chairman/CEO of Stanel Group, Stanel Uzochukwu, in addition to paying the option of fines for 25 inmates for their release, also donated a truck of different food items to the Jos prison authorities to improve the feeding condition of the inmates.
Narrating her ordeal, Joel said she was working for a man (name withheld) and his family as a house help when her madam gave her some clothes, including a George wrapper to wash on the faithful day, but unfortunately, one of the wrappers got missing in the compound where they were been dried.
“My madam gave me clothes to wash and I washed them. But in the evening when I gathered the clothes after being dried, the George wrapper was missing from the clothes. That was the beginning of my problem. The woman said I stole the cloth; I said I was not the one, but she didn’t believe me.
“She called the police to arrest me and because she has money to influence the police, I was charged to court with different count charges.
“That was how I was eventually charged to court and jailed for 7 years with an option of fine of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only (N150,000.00). I have nobody to pay that kind of big money, so I resigned to faith in the prison to serve the jail term.
“While in prison, I was frustrated, depressed and hopeless for serving a jail term for a crime I didn’t commit. I thought it was all over in life.
“But my case was like the case of Zion in the Bible; when the Lord turned against the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream,” (Psalm 126:1). When we were told in the prison that someone came with truck of food items for the prison inmates, I was only happy for the food items but never knew that Stanley Uzochukwu is a God sent; a ‘messiah’ to secure my freedom.
“He sent about 25 inmates free from the very day he visited with truck of food items. And my case was mentioned to him and he promised he would do something. But I didn’t believe he could keep to his promise until he, indeed, sent some persons to the prison authorities to initiate the process of making payment for my fine of N150,000.00. This was unbelievable! As God may have it to the shame of my enemies, he paid the fine and I was set free.
“I started shedding tears of joy when prison warders came to me and said, ‘You are going home today.’ Only God can thank and bless Mr. Stanley for me. I cannot thank him enough. This is a man I never know in my entire life and I don’t know where to see him now. I saw the finger of God in his success and generosity.
“I like to leave a simple prayer for him: the sky is his starting point but not his limit. May God continue to bless him.
Overwhelmed by the simplicity of the philanthropist, Stanley Uzochukwu, the Comptroller of the Jos Prison, DCP Yahaya Adamu Sambo, confirmed the report and commended Uzochukwu’s love and passion to alleviate the suffering of the inmates by setting 25 prisoners free and the donation of truck of food items for the remaining inmates, saying he wondered if the truck of food items was from the United Nation.
“I am simply overwhelmed by this visit of an individual. Uzochukwu is, indeed, a great philanthropist. I was thinking the truck of food items was from the United Nation. He did not stop there; he also paid fines for 25 inmates who are not imprisoned for criminal cases. The most touching and sympathetic of it all is the house help woman, Lydia, who is being jailed for 7 years with an option of fine of N150,000.00 for stolen wrapper of her Boss.
“This is the biggest donation I have ever received from an individual without media presence. Some individuals, even corporate bodies come here with one or two cartons of Indomie, yet they would come with convoys of pressmen from different media houses. But to my surprise, this young man didn’t come with any pressman to cover the great event.”
Confirming the testimony of Lydia, the philanthropist and Chairman/CEO of Stanel Group, Stanley Uzochukwu said he was moved and touched by the story of Lydia Joel he heard and was left with the only option to pay the fine and get her out of prison.
“The woman’s story touched me and the only option I had was to ensure that she was set free from jail. I don’t know her from anywhere, but I just have to secure her freedom and I think well-meaning individuals should be doing such. There are so many innocent Nigerians in Prisons custody for the crime they didn’t commit.”
