Prof. Usman Yusuf
Barely midway into a deeply unpopular, deceitful, tribalistic, non-inclusive, divisive, recklessly run, self-serving, propaganda fueled, corruption-ridden, hardships-inflicting and state-capturing first term, President Tinubu, instead of listening to the painful and haunting cries of citizens and making amends, he has chosen to treat Nigerians as a conquered people and his spoils of war.
He is unapologetically violating the very tenet of our constitution by using the coercive instruments of the state to stifle voices of opposition to his government.
One can tell that a government is in panic mode and losing the moral high ground when it starts acting like a schoolyard bully and resorting to blackmail, intimidation, political persecution, witch-hunts and brute force to suppress legitimate opposition.
Nigerians and indeed the whole world need to know the deeply troubling way that President Tinubu and his administration are blatantly misusing the instruments of state to forcefully stifle legitimate opposition to his government. This gross abuse of power, which is imperilling the very essence of our fragile, hard-won democracy, cannot and will not be allowed to continue.
On 29 January 2025, I was forcefully abducted from my home in front of my family without an arrest warrant by armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and detained for six days.
I was subsequently arraigned in court on 5-count frivolous charges related to my three-year tenure 9 years ago as the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). I was denied bail and incarcerated in Kuje prison for 24 days from February 3 to 27, 2025. The trial will, Insha’Allah, start on May 15, 2025.
My 24 days in Kuje Prison were a blessing and an education I would never have gotten in any classroom. I was well received by the inmates, 99% of whom were youths with an average age of 23 years. The prison, which was originally built for 560 inmates, now houses 960.
The inmates seemed in touch with what was happening beyond the prison walls, as many knew who I was and why I was there. They would come over to offer their support and best wishes. I noticed that no one judged anyone or asked why they were in Prison.
The default greetings in Hausa, even for the non-Hausa speaking inmates, was, “Yaya hakurin zaman gidan nan? Allah yayi mana mafita”. The literal English translation is, “How are you holding up in this house? May God make things easier for us.”
After settling into my cell measuring about 10 by 6 feet with only one window, I went around and introduced myself to my three neighbours in our “VIP” wing, all of whom seemed to know I was coming.
Although the setting was relaxed with some privileges, the round-the-clock presence of guards and CCTVs in the hallways and courtyard reminded me of my loss of freedom. The thick metal door to each cell is locked from the outside for 11 hours each day, from 8pm to 7am.
I used my time in the Prison for rest, prayers and reflections. I have always been a night owl and an unrepentant procrastinator since my medical school days at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, which earned me among my classmates the name “Usman Crash” to differentiate me from another Usman in the class that was a lot more serious and organised than yours sincerely.
I would let things pile up until a few weeks before a major exam, then disappear from circulation for nights of TDBs (Till day breaks).
I found this “crashing” trait very useful in my cell where I would spend the night in prayers and reflection and daytime for resting and receiving visitors.
In addition to my family’s constant and comforting presence, some of the many visitors that came included some famous alumni of the prison, former governors and ministers, serving and former members of National and State Assemblies.
Old friends from primary, secondary school, and ABU Zaria days also visited. Clerics of both faiths and Youth groups from all over the country. Active duty and retired officers and men of the Military, Police, and Paramilitary Forces.
It was very touching to receive messages of support and best wishes from soldiers on the battle fronts of the many conflict areas in the country. I was also visited by staff of the Consular Section of the American Embassy in Abuja.
During the 13 hours of freedom, inmates can roam freely and receive visitors for 2- 3 hours. There is a chapel and mosque, each situated on the opposite side of the prison.
In the mosque, we would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayers regardless of what sect the person next to you belongs to: Sunni, Shi’ite, Tijjaniyya, Qadiriyya, Boko Haram, Ansaru, Darussalam, Ahmadiyya or whatever divisions there are on the outside.
Sitting under a tree near the Chapel with some Christian inmates, I got into a conversation with a 23 year old inmate who was born in the missionary hospital I did my NYSC 42 years ago (1983) in the old Cross River state. He was awaiting trial, accused of being a combatant member of IPOB.
He told me that since the cells are not segregated based on ethnicity or religion, every time the Muslim inmates pray their morning prayers in the cells, the Christians gather to say their own prayers in the same place to the same God.
He went on to say that if a Christian inmate needed any help, it was usually the Muslim inmates that would rush to help and vice versa. He said, “Oga, all this division na for outside”.
I visited various sections of the prison. In the prison clinic, I saw they needed more basic medications. The prisoners who could afford them had to pay out of their pockets to buy them from outside.
In the kitchen, I consistently heard from inmates that the meals were inadequate, poor quality, and tasteless. Those who can afford them either buy, cook, or get their families to deliver.
What I found very troubling was the number of inmates awaiting trial, some for over 10 years, I interacted with some Shi’ite inmates who have been in prison awaiting trial for up to 14 years.
Reliable data nationally reveals that 80% of inmates in Nigerian prisons are awaiting trial. This is a classic example of the phrase; justice delayed is justice denied.
Another concern is the number of inmates incarcerated for minor offences or their inability to pay a minuscule amount of fines. I realised that Nigerian prisons have literally become dumping grounds for the police and the judicial system.
I met an inmate who committed a horrendous violent crime due to a severe psychiatric problem and was not receiving treatment in prison.
He clearly belongs to a psychiatric hospital, not prison. There are many like him all across Nigeria’s correctional system.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police is still active years after it was said to be disbanded. I heard horror stories from inmates there. I saw inmates transferred from SARS in terrible states with severe malnutrition, evidence of torture, and skin diseases like scabies.
I spent time and interacted with inmates in the Skills acquisition workshop, the library and the computer room of Nigeria Open University in the prison.
Investment should be made in upgrading the skills centre and teaching inmates skills that will make them productive inside the prison and when they are released to prevent repeat offending. The Open University has only three functional computers, and the library needs more books.
I have nothing but good things to say about all the staff of the Nigerian Correctional Services in Kuje prison. They were very professional, compassionate, and supportive of the inmates under their care.
The words of Wole Soyinka from his prison notes in the book, ‘The Man Died’, are as true today as 53 years ago when they were written: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”
Alhamdulillah, the man in me is alive and well and will continue to speak up against tyranny and injustice because silence in the face of evil is itself evil.
May God Almighty continue to guide us to do that which is right and just.
Yusuf is a Professor of Haematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation
