Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré has freed a wrongly imprisoned man following a surprise visit to the Ouagadougou Central Correctional Facility.
The incident, which has since made headlines across the country, has sparked conversations about judicial reform and the rights of inmates.
On Monday morning, President Traoré quietly departed the presidential palace without notifying the press or his cabinet. Accompanied only by his driver and two unmarked police vehicles, the president ordered a direct, unannounced visit to the central prison.
At the facility, both the guards and prison authorities were caught off guard. “We were not informed,” one guard said. President Traoré responded plainly: “That is why I came.”
Inside the prison, Traoré requested direct access to the inmates, wanting to interact with them personally and understand their experiences.
Walking cell to cell, he spoke to several prisoners, asking them about their time in custody, the charges they faced, and whether they had legal support. Many inmates were visibly surprised and cautious, unsure how to react to the unprecedented visit.
One encounter stood out.
In a dim corner of the prison sat Emmanuel, a weary and quiet inmate who had been incarcerated for seven years. He told the president he was accused of stealing from his employer — a charge he has always denied.
According to Emmanuel, he received no legal representation during his trial, and his former employer used influence to manipulate the case in favour of a relative.
“I had no lawyer. No one believed me,” Emmanuel said, adding that he had been abandoned by his family and had not received any visitors throughout his incarceration.
Moved by the story, President Traoré ordered immediate access to Emmanuel’s case file. “I believe you,” he told the inmate. “And I will find out the truth.”
By the end of the day, a small task force of legal experts and human rights officers was formed at the president’s direction.
Their review of Emmanuel’s case uncovered multiple irregularities: a corrupt judge, lack of legal representation, and a questionable arrest based on coerced testimony. The judge had already been dismissed years earlier for corruption, and Emmanuel’s former employer was found to have influenced the trial to replace him with a family member.
Armed with this information, President Traoré returned to the prison the next day — this time with members of the press.
He entered Emmanuel’s cell and delivered the news: “You were not only wrongly accused, you were abandoned by a system that should have protected you. I’m sorry. You are going home.”
Emmanuel, stunned and tearful, was released in front of reporters and onlookers. Though he left prison with nothing, he told journalists, “I have no family, no house, no job, but I have hope. That’s enough for now.”
The president took Emmanuel to the presidential guest house for temporary accommodation. The following day, he was hosted at the palace, where he shared his life story and aspirations — including a dream of becoming a teacher.
Later that week, President Traoré held a national press conference. Standing beside Emmanuel, he declared:
“Today we correct a mistake, but this is not just about one man. We must fix a broken system. No citizen should suffer in silence. I will not rest until our justice system protects the innocent and punishes the guilty fairly.”
He also announced the formation of a new task force, with Emmanuel as a member, to investigate other cases of possible wrongful imprisonment across the country.
Emmanuel, once forgotten by the justice system, now stands as a national symbol of accountability, reform, and hope.
