SADOH MS' Blog: See How Innocent People Have Been Thrown Into Jail For Lack Of Affluence/Opulence

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About thirty percent of the total inmates in the Nigerian prisons today, if well investigated, would be discovered that such huge percentage are innocent of the very crimes they were accused of, that led them to jail. Many people are in the prison today for the crime they knew nothing about due to the major fact that they are not influential and or, they are not opulent. This innocence of inmates currently not pertaining to the Nigerian nation alone as even in the advanced countries, it has been witnessed how many people who have been jailed for years were later discovered innocent and acquitted of their convicted crimes afterwards.

A case of the innocent in prison

On the account of autobiography, this is a story where the narrator almost landed in prison after arrested by the police CID, but he was let off the police hook due to the timely influential prowess that intervened in the process afterwards.

On 15^th of December, 2003, I was trekking amidst the congested crowd in the Benin city centre commonly called Ring Road but officially known as King Square. I was going to the newly established Globacom annex office at Mission Road, to buy a new SIM card for my uncle. During this period, acquiring a new SIM card was like purchasing a durable fixed asset like electronics for your home. It was not as simple as we have today. It was the first time that the price of a SIM card got reduced from the initial ten thousand naira to six thousand naira, where the subscriber was allowed to pay four thousand naira instantly and to pay the balance in subsequent deduction from their airtime recharge. It was the cheapest means of acquiring SIM card from any mobile communication network then. Since I had gotten my SIM card at the price of ten thousand naira, I was so excited to learn about the reduced price and had to advise my uncle to seize the opportunity to get his. Hence, he mandated me to do the task on his behalf. With that, I left home that morning holding two handsets in my fist, one for me, and the other without a SIM card for my uncle, trekking with excitement to Mission Road in Benin City with intention to get a new mobile line (for my uncle). It was an upgrade to better our telecommunication status at home, as it was then a pride and privilege to own a mobile phone.

Inmates in Kirikiri Prison, Nigeria

I never imagined that, as at that period, it was relatively an offence to go about in the city of Benin with two mobile phones in hand. I did not hear it from anyone that the impetus of mobile phones theft at that time, had warranted the police to monitor and arrest anybody with two phones especially when any of such phones is without a SIM card. That was a grave offence, which to my innocence and ignorance, befell me on that day. To me, it was a bit of show-off as my holding two mobile phones would make me appeared a ‘big boy’ to my peers and admirers. Little did I know that I was preparing my own prison cell in the folly pride of trivial show-off.

Until I got to the beginning of Mission Road from the edge of Wire Road, I never realized that different police officers in mufti, from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Benin City, had been on my trail. To them, they believed I was a criminal, so whenever I walked into a crowded group of people as the city was also the location of the popular Oba Market, they believed I was docking and maybe trying to escape their arrest. Surprisingly, I was never aware of any trail or trace by anyone until I was two buildings away from the very office I was about to do my business of SIM card acquisition.

A muscularly built man approached me from behind and tapped my shoulder politely. When I turned around, I saw the face of a man in his early forties, with huge chest and muscular arms; holding a pistol but pointing it down the ground. First thing I noticed was his smiles as my reaction to his presence even at the sight of the gun clinched in his fist, did not call for any aggressiveness. Since I did not realize of my offending anyone, I did not have any cause to be frightened for what I was not even aware of as criminal antecedent.

I returned his smiles with mine, in awkward innocent manner and subsequently stretched out my hand for a handshake which he complied amicably like an old friend.

‘What is your name?’ he asked me.

‘I am, Sadoh Muhammad Sanni’, I answered boldly.

‘Is there any way you can identify yourself officially?’ he asked, looking deeply into my eyes for any clue.

‘Yes, yes, I have my school ID card with me here...’

‘Which school are you?’ he cut in while I was still explaining.

‘I am in A.B.U. Zaria’

‘You mean Ahmadu Bello University?’

‘Yes...this is my ID card, I am currently in 300 Level’, I said, handing over to him my school ID card.

He took the card from me, looked at it, read through its content and look at my face sharply. He snapped at the ID again and at my face once more before returning the card back to me.

‘Well, sorry for the wrong identity but you will have to explain some few things to me’, he said, looking more friendly now.

‘What’s that you need from me my brother?’ I asked politely.

‘You see... I am Sergeant Kola from the State CID. We have been trailing you from the Oba Market Police Station. We noticed you are carrying two handsets, and your appearance made us think you are a criminal suspect....’

He paused a bit, looked around the crowded market environment, and convinced of no threat thereabout and then continued.

‘My initial intention was to meet you and shoot one of your legs, but the way you just answered my questions now and your means of identity, I will have to remove my bullets for safety purpose; and I have decided not to handcuff you too...’

Yepaa! My heart skipped a deep beat like someone who just woke from a nightmare. True to his words, in my very presence, he disengaged the short magazine from his pistol, opened it and discharged all the twelve bullets from the magazine, then kept them in his pocket. He showed me the handcuff, which was to be used on my wrists but he receded his intention in amiable demeanour.

‘But you will have to follow me to the headquarters...’

‘Why should I follow you to the headquarters my brother? I just told you I am a student and you have confirmed that through my ID.’

I was still unaware of my offence that made him said I must follow him to the Police headquarters.

‘Yes, you will come with me to the headquarters because you are holding two handsets...and I guess both of them do not have SIM card...’

‘No sir,’ I retorted.

‘One has...this one has a SIM while this...’ holding out my uncle’s phone, ‘I am going to Glo office to buy a new SIM for it. It belongs to my uncle.’

‘You see? That is your offence...’

He told me about the trend in the town. People handsets were been stolen on daily basis, and the SIM card destroyed and later, the criminal got a new SIM card for the phone and became the owner...

Unfortunately for me, I had no other option than to follow him to the State CID where I believed I could clear my alleged offence for innocence. As we were trekking like foot soldiers towards the headquarters, an idea crept into my mind. Something like a caution came to me and suggested that I find any means to avoid getting to the State CID as it may be very difficult to leave such place even on the account of innocence. At a location known as Urokpota Hall at the same Ring Road area, I told the police officer to allow me make a call to a second uncle who was at that time a senior staff of NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC. To my amazement, he allowed me after quizzing about my uncle’s personality.

On the phone, my second uncle listened to my explanation and later, ordered that I allowed him speak with the police officer. Distinctly, he introduced himself to the police officer and identified me just as I did to the officer earlier. Every of his details about me matched all I had told the officer myself. As it was glaring that an influential figure had intervened in the scenario, the officer considered the case not ‘fruitful’ to their regular intention for innocent people detention. Therefore, he told my uncle over the phone that he had released me due to his confirmation of my identity. That was how I escaped prison that day!

Now my question is, if I was not opportune to have such influential uncle at that moment, what would have been my fate? How many people with such wrong accusations, who have gone to jail, had been found innocent afterwards? Is the say: ‘no ignorance before the law’, really adequate or of any benefit to the poor innocent masses?

SADOH MS' Blog