“How I Prevented Kirikiri Inmates From Attacking Obasanjo”: Shehu Sani Spills
- Former Kaduna Senator Shehu Sani has made a revelation about his early days when he was an activist, fighting for democracy and locked behind bars
- Sani narrated how he saved former President Olusegun Obasanjo from the wrath of prison inmates at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in 1995
- He also disclosed how Ken Saro-Wiwa was brought into Port-Harcourt prison and hanged, saying “I could see them from the window”
TheTalk.NG journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
FCT, Abuja – A former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has narrated how he shielded ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from being assaulted by inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum Security prison in 1995.
Shehu Sani and ex-President Obasanjo.
Photo credit: @ShehuSaniSource: Twitter
Shehu Sani, Obasanjo and Shehu Musa Yar’Adua were moved to prison
He spoke during a lecture in Abuja on Thursday, June 27. Obasanjo was Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979. He returned as civilian president in 1999 and handed over the reins of power in 2007.
Sani was among pro-democracy activists and dissidents who were rounded up and jailed by the military junta led by Sani Abacha, who was president from 1993 to 1998.
Obasanjo, who was Nigeria’s Head of State from 1976 to 1979 and returned as civilian president in 1999–2007, was arrested in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup and jailed.
Obasanjo was arrested in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup and was jailed.
While recounting events from the era, Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly, said he, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Obasanjo were moved to Kirikiri prison after their arrests.
They insulted Obasanjo
According to him, armed robbers in prison began shouting and insulting the former president when they saw him, Daily Trust reported.
Sani added that he “talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate”.
He said:
“In 1995, a team of soldiers, policemen and DSS visited my house in Kaduna. It was a journey that began and lasted for four years,” he said.
“I was picked up from Kaduna and brought to Lagos with the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. From the airport, we were led to the DSS headquarters, where we met President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Unfairly from the soldiers, they handcuffed me but did not do so for Obasanjo or Yar’Adua. Obasanjo looked at me and asked me who I was and if I had stolen something for them to have handcuffed me. I told him I was an activist.
“I was then the deputy chairman of the Campaign for Democracy. We were taken to Kirikiri Maximum Prison. We stayed there without anybody saying anything to us. When we arrived at Kirikiri, we were given a blanket and a plate of food.
“We were then allocated our cells. When the armed robbers there saw Obasanjo, they started shouting and insulting him. Naturally, for those of us who were human rights activists, we were popular with inmates. I told him, ‘You are a commander outside, but this is where I command’. I then talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate.
“I got 15 years, Obasanjo got 15 years, Yar’Adua got life imprisonment. Those of us from the north were sent to southern prisons and those from the south were sent to northern prisons. That was how I found myself in Port Harcourt prison.
“I was in Port Harcourt prison when Ken Saro-Wiwa was brought in and hanged. I could see them from the window.”
Shehu Sani warns Northern leaders plotting to unseat Tinubu
TheTalk.NG reported earlier that Shehu Sani warned Northern politicians to abandon plans to evict President Bola Tinubu from office in the 2027 Presidential elections.
Sani, in an interview with Arise TV, said the move to unseat Tinubu in the next election will negatively affect the unity of Nigeria.
According to the activist, no serious Southerner attempted to remove Buhari from power during his eight-year tenure. Hence, Tinubu should not be challenged in 2027.
Source: TheTalk.NG
