Permit me to begin this contribution with an apology for my disappearance from the literary and political scene for the last one month but this was due to circumstances beyond my control.
On
October 21st, five days after my 56th birthday, I was arrested by the
EFCC without an arrest warrant at the premises of the Federal High Court
in Lagos where I had been earlier granted bail. Thereafter I was
illegally detained by them without any detention order for 21 days.
Kindly note that this was after I had been detained by them for a gruelling 67 days 6 months ago (from 9th of May till July 15th),
brought before the Federal High Court in Lagos, arraigned on spurios
and politically-motivated charges and locked up in Ikoyi prison for a
number of days whilst I attempted to perfect my court bail.
After
perfecting bail, on 21st October I was re-arrested and the whole
nightmare began again: only this time it was far more insidious and
worse.
Throughout the time of the
second detention I was kept in a dingy underground cell at the EFCC
headquarters in Abuja where I met a number of other high profile
opposition figures like Senator Bala Mohammed, the former Minister of
the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the former
Minister of State for Defence and Mr. Reuben Abati, the former spokesman
to President Goodluck Jonathan.
During
the course of my 21 day incarceration my abductors did not ask me any
questions or say one word to me other than to formally serve me with a
new set of fresh criminal charges the morning after I got there which I
simply signed for.
After that I
heard nothing from them and I was told nothing though I had daily visits
to the medical clinic at the EFCC due to my deteriorating health.
Three weeks later,
on November 10th, I was brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja
and arraigned on yet another set of spurrious, baseless and
politically-motivated charges.
These
ones were even more ridiculous and far-fetched than the first set in
Lagos. I was falsely accused of receiving 26 million naira cash from the
former National Security Advisor, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, for media work
for the Jonathan administration in 2014.
Thankfully
I was granted bail by the court and I was detained at Kuje prison for a
further 4 days whilst I attempted to perfect my bail.
At
Kuje I was kept in the terrorist wing of the prison which was built by
the British government specifically for Boko Haram convicts and
suspects.
There were 47 of them in
the facility and I was with them throughout. These were tough,
disciplined, hardened, surprisingly well-educated and intimidating men.
The
single cells and the entire terrorist section of the prison was
pervaded by an eerie silence throughout the night and low tone whispers
throughout the day. The only thing that broke the monotony of silence
was the regular and constant call to Muslim prayers and the loud and
regular cries of "Allahu Akbar".
This
was a frightful place and those that were locked up there were very
dangerous and frightful people yet thankfully the Lord went ahead of me.
The single cells, though small, were clean, self-contained, well-
I
was very impressed with them and when I heard their stories and what
some of them had been subjected to by the security forces and the state
tears came to my eyes.
Most of
those men were not Boko Haram killers but had been falsely accused,
tortured and just dumped into prison and I felt nothing but pain and
sorrow when I heard their stories.
When
I went to visit the great and brilliant freedom fighter, Nnamdi Kanu,
who is the leader of IPOB and easily the most courageous, powerful and
credible Igbo leader in Nigeria today in his cell we had a very
instructive and long discussion.
I had never met Nnamdi before and I was amazed at his depth of knowledge, his immense courage and his deep convictions.
There
is no doubt in my mind that that man is going places and in him the
Igbo have an Ojukwu and a Nnamdi Azikiwe all rolled into one. He is
destined for greatness.
My Boko
Haram friends accompanied me to that meeting, drew a ten man security
cordon around me when we entered the general population of the prison
and waited outside as Nnamdi and I spoke for almost three hours.
They even accompanied me to Church on sunday and waited outside until we finished.
Given
what I have written about Boko Haram in the past and given my total
aversion to any form of violence, terrorism and radical Islam, this was a
classic case of God granting me favour before my enemies.
Everyone
dreaded them in that prison but I am proud to say that they were my
friends and I will never forget their courage, kindness and fellowship
for the rest of my life.
The enemy
had placed me in the lions den but the lions and their prey became the
best of friends. Not only were my Boko Haram section mates very good to
me but so were the other inmates in the general prison population.
Not
only that, the head of the prison DCP Akilu Abdullah, his Chief warden
and his entire staff and team of prison wardens were firm, courteous and
professional not just to me but to all the other inmates.
This
was the doing of the Lord and it was marvellous in my sight. Throughout
my travails I have never questioned God and I have been inspired and
comforted by His word which says that in all things we must give thanks
to Him.
I am innocent of all the
charges and allegations and as I have said elsewhere the whole thing is
an attempt by the Federal Government and an increasingly desperate EFCC
that is obsessed with my name and putting me away to discredit, break
and silence me.
Yet in all this I
am not moved and neither can I ever be broken or silenced because, like
the biblical Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth".
Like Shakespeare's Macbeth, "my head is bloodied but not bowed" and "I shall fight until the flesh is hacked from my bones".
And
as that fight and struggle unfolds and unwinds I take solace in the
powerful and beautiful words of the Victorian poet William Ernest Henley
in my favourite poem titled 'Invictus' which was written in 1875. He
wrote,
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul".
Like
Nelson Mandela did at Robben Island prison every day for 26 years, I
recited that poem three times a day on each and every day of my total of
90 days detention this year. And if I am arrested and detained again by
the EFCC or any of President Buhari's other numerous security or
intelligence agencies I will continue to recite it. I have no fear of
what men or satan can do to me and I trust and have faith in the God
that I serve.
Having explained my
absence for the few weeks with this appetiser permit me get to the meat
of it and now serve the main dish of this contribution. (TO BE
CONTINUED).