I Spent One Year In Prison Over Footwear I Didn’t Steal — Nigerian Youth Narrates Ordeal
Elijah said that one of his friends who accompanied him to a black market fuel seller on the night of January 6, 2024 while they were returning from a friend’s birthday party stole a pair of footwear belonging to the son of the fuel seller without his (Elijah) notice.
ANigerian youth and commercial tricycle rider, who identified himself as Wisdom Elijah, based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has narrated how he spent one year in prison because of some footwear he did not steal.
Elijah, who narrated his ordeal in an account sighted by SaharaReporters on Thursday, said he was taken into police custody on January 6, 2024 where he spent three days before he was arraigned in court on the fourth day, after which, he was granted N80,000 bail but as he could not meet his bail condition, he was taken to prison.
He said he was thrown into the worst part of the prison cell where he stayed without water nor food till December 3, 2024 when he was released.
Elijah said that one of his friends who accompanied him to a black market fuel seller on the night of January 6, 2024 while they were returning from a friend’s birthday party stole a pair of footwear belonging to the son of the fuel seller without his (Elijah) notice.
He narrated that when the woman whose son’s pair of footwear was stolen by his friend found out as they were leaving, the husband called the police and despite his pleading and apologies, they were arrested and detained.
Elijah said that his friend who took the footwear was eventually bailed by his parents but they abandoned him in prison for a year for a crime he did not commit.
Speaking in Pidgin language, he said, “My name is Wisdom Elijah. I have been seeing people’s comments asking how I went to prison. I came out (of prison) on December 3, 2024.
“I am a Keke Napep rider. On January 6, 2024, I had just closed from work when one of my friends in our area said they were holding a birthday party on that fateful Sunday.
“I drove them to a far place and as we were returning, fuel ran out from my Keke Napep. I took a gallon and asked my friend to accompany me to go buy fuel from one woman selling fuel around our area there.
“After buying the fuel, we were going back, and I did not even know that my friend’s slippers got cut because he did not tell me, instead, he took slippers belonging to the son of the woman selling fuel from the front of the woman’s house.
“As we were going, the woman started calling us to return the slippers we took. I became angry with my friend on why he took the woman’s son’s slippers.
“I started apologising to the woman but the woman refused. She started shouting that we are thieves. I was still apologizing to her to calm down and kept shouting at my friend for taking the slippers.
“But before we knew what was happening, the woman’s husband called the police and the police came and took us to the station and we spent three days in the cell.”
He continued, “I thought it was a minor issue but it was not funny because I don’t have anybody in Port Harcourt, but my friend has people and we were just calling different people.
“On the fourth day, they said they would take us to court. I never believed that slippers matter can take one to court.
“When we went to court, they looked into the matter and granted us N80,000 bail. At that time, I was riding the Keke Napep on hire purchase and there was nobody to stand for me and bail me. I didn’t have a phone to even call my people to come and bail me.
“We were at the court till the court closed and we were taken to prison. That was how I found myself in prison.”
According to Elijah, “After spending three days in prison, my friend’s people came and bailed him, abandoning me there as I don’t have anybody in Port Harcourt and I don’t have a phone inside the prison and to make calls inside prison is not easy.
“I was taken to the worst cell inside the prison where there is no water, no food.”
He however did not explain how he was released or who secured his release.
