According to a news that was published by the Vanguard Newspaper online this morning, it was reported that in the year 1995, a man, whose name was given as Mumuni Adisa, left his family in Lagos Island, for a party in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in the company of two of his friends.
Unfortunately, Adisa, never attended the said party for which he travelled, but instead, he ended up at a police station, where he was accused of armed robbery along with his friends, despite the fact that they proved to the police operatives who arrested them that they were not armed robbers. They were eventually charged to court and they were sentenced to death before he was granted amnesty this year, after he was detained for 7 years and was on death row for 20 yrs.
- While talking during an interview with Vanguard’s correspondent, shortly after he was granted amnesty, he said, “My name is Mumuni Adisa. I am 53 years old and a businessman. In the year 1995, two of my friends, Wahab Alao and Fatai Busari, invited me to join them to attend a party in Ibadan but, when we got to an area called Ile-Epo, we went into a pharmaceutical shop to get some drugs for Alao because, he had pile.”
He said as soon as they made their way out of the shop, some unknown people started shouting that they were thieves and before they knew what was going on, a team of police operatives, already rounded them up and took them to their station.
Further talking, Adisa said, the scene was a big surprise for him because, he was not a thief and he had never been involved in any criminal activity before in his life. He said on the second day, his family came to visit him, as they were shocked when police operatives said he was part of an armed robbery gang.
While narrating his ordeal while in prison, he said the death row was hell and he will never wish his worst enemy a day inside the death row cell.
- He said, “I ate, drank and defecated within my celI.”
Adisa claimed that the heat inside the cell cannot be compared with anything, as they were treated like dead people by the prison warders.
The businessman said that the scariest part of his experience was whenever prison officials came to pick any of them for execution.
- He said, “When I newly got into the cell, the execution of condemned inmates was a regular occurrence. We usually do not know who will be executed next amongst us so whenever we heard the prison officials marching towards our cell, we began to panic. Some would begin to stool while others would begin to say their last prayers.I was living one day at a time believing that I might be the next person.”
IRREDEEMABLE LOSSES
Before I was convicted, I had two wives and two children. My children were very small then. Throughout my 29 years in prison, I never saw them. Even my two wives moved on with their lives and married other men. It was after I was released about a month ago that I was informed that my two children died at different time years ago. My father and mother also died during my time in prison. I only have two surviving relations, a brother and sister.
LESSONS IN PRISON
Those who have not been to prison before should pray never to go there because it not a good place to be. There are many innocent people in prison; People who are suffering for what they know nothing about. Before I got into prison, I used to assume that everybody in prison is a criminal but now I know better.
There are many bad things in the prison like cultism so the place can actually make a good person to become bad. There are very terrible people in prison with terrible crimes so the place can corrupt an innocent inmate. The place can also humble anybody because one cannot do the things he or she is used to doing outside. We are like babies that must obey every instruction given to us by the warders.
HOMELESS
Since I was released, I have been homeless and living on the assistance of friends (sobs). Imagine me with many things going for me before, now begging people before I can eat. I tried to locate my family house but couldn’t because everywhere has changed and my parents are no more.
FORGIVENESS
What those police officers did by framing us for what we didn’t do is very bad but I have forgiven them. I believe that everything happened for a reason. I fasted and prayed while in prison and God has really helped me to forgive them.
APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE
My biggest challenge now is how to start my life afresh. For how long will I continue to beg people for food? I am a driver, if anybody can assist me with a bus, I can put it on the road to fend for myself and start life afresh.
Support for Fatai Busari can be sent to his account No. 4067622841 (Zenith Bank)
