A Nigerian man has recounted the remarkable story of how he was imprisoned at the age of 13 after accidentally damaging a police officer’s car and eventually regained his freedom at the age of 60.
According to his account, he was living in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he combined schooling with helping his father sell sugarcane. His father, a sugarcane farmer, would hire a wheelbarrow for 20 kobo, which they used to transport the produce around the city for sale.
One afternoon after school, while searching for shade from the intense Maiduguri heat, he accidentally scratched a parked vehicle and broke one of its headlights. Although frightened, he chose not to flee and instead remained at the scene for about 30 minutes, waiting for the owner to return.
The vehicle’s owner, who had been praying at a nearby mosque, later emerged and allegedly assaulted the teenager without allowing him to explain. The man reportedly threatened bystanders with a pistol before taking the boy to a police station, where it became apparent that he was a police officer.
The teenager was detained in a police cell, where he spent the night without food except for bread distributed the following morning. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into a month, with no formal explanation or contact with his family. His repeated attempts to seek help from officers on duty were unsuccessful.
After about a month in police custody, he and several other detainees were taken to court. However, the court did not sit that day, and they were remanded in custody. He was subsequently transferred to Maiduguri Prison, where he remained for years without resolution of his case.
During his incarceration, he was assigned to the prison laundry unit and was later transferred from one correctional facility to another across the country, including prisons in Bauchi, Ibadan and Kano, among others. By the time he arrived in Kano, he said he had become widely known among inmates as “Baba” because of his age.
His fortunes changed when a state governor visited the prison toward the end of his tenure. During the inspection, the governor noticed the elderly inmate and asked about his age and the reason for his imprisonment. The man explained that he had entered prison at 13 and was now 60 years old.
The revelation reportedly shocked prison officials, inmates and the governor, who ordered an investigation into the case. According to the man’s account, the inquiry revealed that the police officer responsible for his detention had since become a traditional ruler.
The governor reportedly took the former inmate, still dressed in his prison uniform, to meet the monarch. During the encounter, the traditional ruler allegedly expressed regret and offered to build him a house, arrange a marriage and provide financial support.
However, the man said he rejected the offers, insisting that no amount of compensation could restore the years he had lost or reunite him with the family from whom he had long been separated. He stated that he could not forgive the man for depriving him of his youth and identity.
Following the investigation, the governor granted him amnesty and assisted him with his rehabilitation by establishing a provision shop to help him begin a new life after nearly five decades in custody.
Now 78 years old, the man said he is grateful to be alive and continues to reflect on a life profoundly shaped by an imprisonment that began with a childhood accident.
