24/07/2026
I Was Jailed at 13 and Got My Freedom at 60
I was 13 years old and lived in Maiduguri, Borno State. After school, I helped my father sell sugarcane. He was a sugarcane farmer. We rented a wheelbarrow for 20 kobo, loaded it with sugarcane, and pushed it around the city to sell.
One very hot afternoon after school, I was looking for a tree to rest under. As I was pushing the wheelbarrow, I accidentally hit a parked car and broke one of its headlights.
I was scared, but I didn’t run away. I stayed there for about 30 minutes, waiting for the owner.
The owner came out of a nearby mosque. I was still holding the broken headlight. Before I could explain, he started beating me. When people tried to stop him, he brought out a gun and threatened to shoot anyone who came close.
He pushed me into his car and took me to the police station. That was when I found out he was a police officer. He ordered the other officers to lock me up.
I spent the whole night in the cell without food. The next morning, we were only given a little bread to share.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months. I kept hoping someone would ask why I was there, but nobody did. I was only 13 years old and cried every night.
After one month, I was taken to court with other people. The court did not sit that day, so we were sent to prison on remand.
That was how I entered Maiduguri Prison.
One year passed. Then another. I worked in the prison laundry. Later, I was transferred from one prison to another—Bauchi, then prisons in the East and West, and later Ibadan. Finally, I was taken to Kano Prison.
By then, I was already 60 years old.
Everyone in the prison called me “Baba.” No one believed my story because they thought every prisoner was a criminal.
One day, a governor visited the prison. He saw me and asked, “Baba, how old are you, and why are you here?”
I burst into tears.
I told him, “I am 60 years old. I came here when I was 13.”
Everyone was shocked. The governor cried after hearing my story.
An investigation was carried out. They discovered that the police officer who locked me up had become a respected traditional ruler.
The governor took me to meet him. When the ruler saw me, he bowed his head in shame.
He asked, “Will God forgive me?”
He offered to build me a house, marry a wife for me, and give me anything I wanted.
I replied, “I don’t need a house or a wife. You took my childhood, my future, and my whole life. I lost my family and everything I had. I can never forgive you.”
The governor later granted me freedom and helped me start a new life. He even opened a provision shop for me.
Today, I am 78 years old. I am alive, free, and grateful.
Happy birthday to me. 🎂
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