Former senator and human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has recounted his experience in detention during the military era, using it to stress the importance of having a basic understanding of the law.
In a reflective message, Sani recalled that while he was detained at Kiri Kiri Prison in 1995 over allegations of treason and an attempt to overthrow the administration of late military ruler, Sani Abacha, he wrote letters to three prominent pro-democracy figures — Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana and Beko Ransome-Kuti.
According to him, Fawehinmi and Falana, both senior lawyers and rights activists, chose not to publicise the letters but instead organised protests demanding his release and that of other detainees.
He, however, said Beko Ransome-Kuti took a different approach by calling a press conference in Lagos where he publicly displayed the letter sent to him and also mobilised a nationwide protest for the release of political prisoners.
Sani said the action led to Ransome-Kuti’s arrest, after which he was brought to the same prison and charged as an accessory to treason.
He added that both of them were later sentenced to life imprisonment and spent four years in custody until the death of Abacha, after which they were released by the regime of former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Reflecting on the incident, Sani said he felt pained that Ransome-Kuti had to suffer imprisonment because of the letter he wrote to him.
He noted that while the first two recipients of the letters were lawyers who understood the legal implications of such correspondence, Ransome-Kuti, being a medical doctor, may not have fully appreciated the risks involved.
Drawing a lesson from the experience, Sani warned that people do not necessarily need to be lawyers, but should possess a basic understanding of the law to guide what they say, do or post publicly.
He added that many of the legal and social problems people encounter are often the result of actions they carelessly create for themselves.
