Veteran
Juju musician, Prince Adekunle, who bestrode the music scene in the
1970s and 1980s like a colossus, clocked 70 years a few days ago.
As
much as he openly expressed his gratitude to God for allowing him to
live this long in good health and sound mind, Adekunle, who is now a
pastor, tried to relive the circumstances that led him to jail in the
United States in the late 1990s.
He
told the guests who had come to celebrate with him how he was
wrongfully sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on a trumped-up charge of
drug peddling.
Absolving
himself of any involvement in drug dealing, the musician recounted what
actually happened. He said, “One of my friends gave me a package to
deliver to someone in America. I didn’t know that the tightly sealed
package contained banned substances until I was arrested and detained in
America. All efforts to get the owner to come and collect the package
proved abortive and I was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Later,
when the owner showed up, my jail term was reduced to two years.
“It
was one of the worst experiences I have had in my life. I was bitter
for a long time. I kept asking God why it had to be me. But, soon I
realised that it was a test of faith, like the one experienced by Job in
the Bible.
“God
allowed it to happen to me so that He can lead me out of the storm and
tempest as a lesson to others. Put not your trust in men, so the Holy
book says. Unfortunately, I learnt the hard way.”
To mark his birthday, Adekunle released a new album for the occasion
Punch Nigeria
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