An emotional account of Shehu Sani's time spent in prison under the military rule was shared by the former senator. Video content from TVC
Sani detailed his harrowing ordeal, which included a life sentence that was reduced to fifteen years in prison.
Inmates from northern Nigeria were being sent to southern prisons and vice versa, according to Sani, who disclosed that this was a military strategy. The purpose of this transfer system was to make incarceration more onerous by removing convicts from their familiar environments.
In Port Harcourt, he recalled being sentenced to prison in Rivers State and witnessing the execution of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Sani described the harrowing ordeal of seeing the hanging of Saro-Wiwa and other inmates from his prison window and how it had a lasting impact on him.
Even while he was in prison in Port Harcourt, Sani managed to compose letters to people outside of his inner circle. Thankfully, this letter was published, so he could tell the world about his situation and the conditions in prison.
After Sani wrote a few letters, the authorities in Abia State sent him to prison. They wanted to further cut him off from society by transferring him to a different facility. In spite of everything, Sani persisted in speaking out.
From my window in Port Harcourt prison, I witnessed the hanging of Saro-Wiwa, as he put it. My message to Nigerians, which I penned while incarcerated in Port Harcourt, was published. My next stop was at Aba Prison in the state of Abia.