He highlighted this during a lecture delivered in Abuja on Thursday.
Olusegun Obasanjo, who first served as Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979 before becoming the civilian president from 1999 to 2007, faced a dramatic turn in 1995 when he was arrested on accusations of plotting a coup and later imprisoned.
During this period, Shehu Sani, a noted pro-democracy activist, was also detained by the military regime led by General Sani Abacha, who held power from 1993 until his death in 1998.
Sani recounted a specific incident after their arrests when he, along with Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Obasanjo, was transferred to Kirikiri prison.
Upon their arrival, a group of armed robbers who were also inmates began to insult and threat Obasanjo.
Recognizing the potential danger, Sani intervened by addressing the inmates directly.
He reminded them that Obasanjo, now an inmate like themselves, deserved a measure of respect despite their circumstances.
“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.”
“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 I talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate,” he said.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
