In a video shared by TVC, former Senator Shehu Sani recently talked about a time in his life when he, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and the late General Shehu Yar'Adua were all arrested and imprisoned during Nigeria's military regime. Sani described their sentences and the harsh conditions they were subjected to, revealing that Olusegun Obasanjo and he were initially given life sentences, while General Yar'Adua was given the death penalty.
These severe punishments were a reflection of the military regime's crackdown on political dissent and opposition figures, and the severity of these sentences highlighted the dangerous political environment of the time.
In a surprising development, though, Sani and Obasanjo's prison sentences were later reduced to 15 years apiece. Comparing this to their original life sentences gave some hope, even if the reduction was still significant. General Yar'Adua, on the other hand, was spared execution but still had to serve a lengthy prison sentence after having his death sentence reduced to life in prison. Sani explained how he was then moved to a jail in Rivers State's Port Harcourt.
This action was a part of a larger government plan to transfer inmates from northern to southern prisons and vice versa, further isolating them from their accustomed surroundings and support systems.
Sani emphasized the punishing and arbitrary character of the military regime's legal system when looking back on this time. He pointed out that the life sentences given to journalists who were incarcerated with them demonstrated the pervasive suppression of political engagement and free expression.
In Sani's words: "Late Shehu Yar'Adua got a death sentence, Obasanjo got life in prison, and I got life in prison. And journalists who were together with us were also sentenced to life imprisonment. After that, we were returned to our prison, and they later came to the prison and told us that we should be happy our prison sentences have been reduced from life imprisonment to 15 years each. I got 15 years, Obasanjo got 15 years, and Yar'Adua got life imprisonment."
Watch the video here starting from 05:11