Sani recounted events from the military era, saying he, Shehu Yar’Adua and Obasanjo were moved to Kirikiri Prison after their arrests.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Senator Shehu Sani has said that he shielded former President Olusegun Obasanjo from being assaulted by inmates in the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in 1995.
The former Kaduna Central lawmaker was among the pro-democracy activists who were arrested and jailed by the military junta led by Sani Abacha.
Obasanjo, Nigeria’s Head of State from 1976 to 1979, was arrested and jailed in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup. He would later return as civilian president from 1999 to 2007.
Speaking at a lecture in Abuja on Thursday, Sani recounted events from the military era, saying he, Shehu Yar’Adua and Obasanjo were moved to Kirikiri Prison after their arrests.
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According to him, armed robbers in prison began shouting and insulting the former president when they saw him, adding that he talked to the inmates to calm down and that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate.
“In 1995, a team of soldiers, policemen and DSS visited my house in Kaduna. It was a journey that began and lasted for four years.
“I was picked up from Kaduna and brought to Lagos with the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. From the airport, we were led to the DSS headquarters, where we met President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Unfairly from the soldiers, they handcuffed me but did not do so for Obasanjo or Yar’Adua. Obasanjo looked at me and asked me who I was and if I had stolen something for them to have handcuffed me. I told him I was an activist,” Sani said.