BACK FROM THE DEAD! DEATH ROW PRISONER FREED AFTER 27 YEARS OF WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT – AN EASTER LEGAL-RESURRECTION STORY
Imagine being 25 years old and hearing a judge condemn you to death for a crime you didn’t commit.
Now imagine staying in that hell for the next 27 years of your life. That was the nightmare Clinton Chukwuma Kanu lived—until one powerful legal resurrection brought him back from the brink.
A TRIAL IN DARKNESS
It began on a sweltering day in April, 1992, when Clinton Kanu was arrested in Owerri, Nigeria, and charged with the crimes of armed robbery and murder.
Despite glaring contradictions in the prosecution’s case, this young man with a bright future was sentenced to death by firing squad or hanging for a crime he did not commit, and was thrown into a prison spell that seemed to last for an eternity.
THE LONG WAIT FOR LIGHT
What followed was a slow, torturous burial of a man—alive—under the weight of a justice system that had failed him. For 27 long years, Clinton lived on death row, his days marked by despair and his nights by prayers.
While in incarceration, Clinton’s mother was the only person who visited him in prison from time to time. She eventually succumbed to illness and heartbreak and unfortunately passed away. Clinton mourned his mother from behind bars and struggled to fight the deep pain and loneliness.
Clinton was forgotten by most of his relatives. But resurrection comes to those who hope and believe.
A LAW FIRM THAT FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE
Clinton didn’t give up. From behind bars, he prayed, wrote letters and sought help to appeal his case. One day, El-Briny Chambers became aware of his case, decided to step in, and history began to shift.
The law firm, led by Hon. Chief Emmanuel Chimaeze Onumajuru, Esq., and his son, the indefatigable Obinna Chima-Onumajuru, Esq., took on Clinton’s case pro bono, waging a battle against the might of the state and the concurrent convictions from both the trial court and the Court of Appeal (See Clinton Chukwuma Kanu v. Attorney-General, Imo State (2014) 6 NWLR P. 1).
For them, it wasn’t just about law—it was about justice, and humanity. They battled this decades-old injustice with grace and grit. Their work in this case wasn’t just legal—it was spiritual.
“We took it as a divine assignment”, said Hon. Chief Emmanuel. C. Onumajuru, Esq. in a later interview. “We were determined to free an innocent man from the jaws of death”.
THE JUDGMENT THAT FREED A MAN
On 5th April, 2019, the Supreme Court gave its verdict, and it was thunderous!
“We find that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The conviction and sentence of the appellant is hereby set aside”.
Justice at last!
The Supreme Court ruled there was insufficient evidence of Kanu’s guilt and ordered his acquittal and release from prison.
The court also stated that, “the contradictions in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses are material and go to the root of the case”. In other words, Clinton should never have been convicted.
With that ruling, the man who had been left to rot on death row was suddenly free. This was resurrection in real time!
As the world marked the holy celebration of Easter in April 2019, Clinton Kanu walked out of the prison gates a free man, his soul unshackled, his spirit reborn. It was more than freedom; it was a resurrection. Just as Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being wrongly condemned, so too did Clinton emerge—reborn, restored, and radiant.
“I FEEL LIKE A NEWLY BORN BABY”
Those were Clinton’s first words as a free man. “I feel like a newly born baby,” Clinton Kanu said, with his voice quivering with both awe and exhaustion.
“I have seen hell,” he told reporters. “But I came back.” He cautioned that based on the Supreme Court declaring him innocent, it would be wrong for anybody to call him an ex-convict. He was totally free of that hellish experience once and for all.
There are stories that shake you, and there are stories that lift you. The story of Clinton Chukwuma Kanu does both. It is a story of hope after despair, of justice after delay, and yes—life after death.
Let this Easter miracle remind us that resurrection, whether it be from tombs or prison cells, may not always come with angels, but can come in the form of God-sent advocates such as Hon. Chief Emmanuel Chimaeze Onumajuru, Esq. and Obinna Chima-Onumajuru, Esq. of EL-BRINY CHAMBERS AND ASSOCIATES, whose dedication to justice was unflinching and whose compassion was divine. The work of El-Briny Chambers in this case was not just legal work—it was ministry.
Through relentless advocacy, meticulous legal argument, and a deep faith in justice, EL-BRINY CHAMBERS secured a discharge and acquittal of Mr. Clinton Kanu from Nigeria’s apex Court.
It was not just a legal victory; it was a resurrection of hope and justice!
As God would have it, Hon. Chief Emmanuel Chimaeze Onumajuru, the passionate advocate and esteemed legal luminary was called to glory sometime after the case, but what an amazing legacy he left behind! He is survived in the legal profession and his law firm by his sons, Obinna C. Chima-Onumajuru (FB-https://www.facebook.com/share/16L5aBBujk/ | WhatsApp-https://wa.me/2349032137633) and Chukwubuikem E. Chima-Onumajuru(FB-https://www.facebook.com/chukwubuikem.onumajuru?mibextid=ZbWKwL | IG-https://www.instagram.com/chukwubuikemonumajuru?igsh=MWNzZDJ1dDBpb3R1Zw== | WhatsApp-https://wa.me/2348132298286) who carry on his legacy of vigorous advocacy and a dogged pursuit of justice against all odds.
You can connect with El-Briny Chambers & Associates via their email address or social media handles:■ Gmail: [email protected]■ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElBrinyChambers?mibextid=JRoKGi■ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elbrinychambers?igsh=dXBubHc3YjVmOGQy■ WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/773S76R3GGN6B1 or https://wa.me/2349055986535
#ClintonKanu #WrongConviction #Wrongfulimprisonment #Exoneration #Discharged #Acquitted #ElBrinyChambers #ElBrinyChambersAndAssociates #ProBono #Law #Lawyer #CriminalLaw #Legal #EathRow #Easter #FreeAtLast #Resurrection #EmmanuelChimaezeOnumajuru #ECOnumajuru #ChubbyCEO #ObinnaChimaOnumajuru #ChukwubuikemOnumajuru #ChukwubuikemEOnumajuru #ChimaOnumajuru #Onumajuru #Viral #Trending #Story #Nigeria #Court #ClintonChukwumaKanu #KanuWant to see the full judgment or dive deeper into Clinton’s story?
Check out the sources below:
🔗https://www.nairaland.com/5154262/clinton-kanu-man-spent-27
🔗https://thenationonlineng.net/hellish-experience/amp/
🔗https://forejustice.org/db/Kanu–Clinton-.html
🔗https://www.thexpressng.com/man-wrongly-condemned-for-27yrs-wants-6-months-imprisonment-course-for-judge/🔗https://qwenu.com/2020/07/01/the-clinton-kanu-story-one-i-wish-could-be-made-into-a-movie-by-muhammad-ahmad/
I vote Arc. Okey Ezeobi