ABRAHAM | Nigeria

Behind the walls of Jalingo Custodial Centre in Nigeria, Abraham reflected on the choices that led him there. At a school reunion, he finally found the courage to ask out the woman he had admired for years. Within six months, they were married. Three months into their marriage, she announced she was five months pregnant – an impossible timeline given their celibacy. When he later overheard her admitting to a friend that the child wasn’t his and that she had married him for financial security, his world shattered. Consumed by anger, he packed her belongings and, in a moment of frustration, pushed her, causing her to fall. By the time he calmed down and took her to the hospital, it was too late. The baby didn’t survive, and months later, he was arrested for attempted murder.

Unrepentant at first, Abraham found clarity through the Sycamore Tree Project, where he learned about the ripple effect of crime and personal responsibility. “If I I had been more careful, maybe I wouldn’t be here,” he admits. The program’s mindfulness exercises helped him understand the weight of his actions and the consequences of unchecked anger. Now, he seeks forgiveness. To his ex-wife, he says, “I was the reason you lost your child. Now, I just want to ask for your forgiveness.” For the first time, he is taking steps toward accountability, healing and redemption.

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