Advertisement

Christian Entity Concerned about Nigerian Professor’s Well-being in Prison

Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa, the co-founder of the Du Merci orphanages for vulnerable children in Kano and Kaduna states, Nigeria. Credit: CSW

By Magdalene Kahiu

Sokoto, 04 August, 2022 / 3:35 pm (ACI Africa).

The leadership of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has expressed concern about the well-being of a Nigerian professor who was accused of running illegal orphanages in the country.

In a Thursday, August 4 report, CSW officials say Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa’s eyes, which showed indications of swelling, could not see clearly one morning in July. 

On July 5, the founder of Du Merci orphanages was able to make a phone call requesting his wife, Mercy Tarfa, to bring an ophthalmologist to the prison to examine him. While Mrs. Tarfa and the doctor arrived at the prison later that day, they were not permitted to see the professor without their lawyer. 

They were unable to contact their lawyers until July 7, when treatment commenced immediately. They were subsequently granted a further visit on July 11 to continue the treatment.

“CSW remains concerned for the wellbeing of Professor Tarfa, and the toll of the current situation on Mrs. Tarfa and the children who were under their care,” CSW Founder President, Thomas Mervyn, says in the August 4 report.

Advertisement

Mr. Mervyn has called on the prison authorities in Nigeria to ensure the professor receives “consistent medical attention”.

Professor Tarfa is facing a two-year prison sentence for allegedly forging a certificate of registration from the Kano State Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development.

In the August 4 report, the CSW official says the Professor Tarfa’s sentence “constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice”.

“We renew our call for the overturning of his conviction, his unconditional release, and an end to the unwarranted suffering of this innocent man and his family,” CSW Founder President says. 

He goes on to call for the return of the Du Merci children to the care of Mrs. Tarfa. 

More in Africa

Kenya

Kenya’s Catholic Journalists Urged to Communicate “beauty, aesthetics of nature” in Fight for Environmental Conservation

Read the article

In November last year, officials of the UK-based human rights organization, claimed that children from the Du Merci Centre were being mistreated at the Nasarawa Children’s Home, where they were relocated to, on account of their religious beliefs.

Magdalene Kahiu

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.

Trending

You may also like

With the incense burned from the newly blessed fire, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, incenses the "Stone of Anointing," located at the entrance of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, where, according to tradition, the body of Jesus was anointed and prepared with aromatic oils for burial. March 30, 2024. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

"The mother of all holy vigils": Jerusalem Basilica is First Place to Announce Easter

In the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, the church of the Lord’s resurrection, the Easter Vigil is held on Saturday...

Kaduna State. Credit: CSW

Christian Entity Urges International Community to Pressure Nigeria after Kaduna Attacks

UK-based human rights foundation, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), is appealing to the international community to pressure the Nigerian government to be accountable...

Credit: CSW

Nigeria Needs to Address Violence in a “far more proactive” Manner: Christian Entity

There is need for the government of Nigeria to address the violence in the country in a “far more proactive”...