In this blog post, I interviewed my friend Somma about her experience in a police cell. Somma was arrested for a minor offense and spent 96 hours in custody. In this interview, she shares her thoughts and feelings about the experience, as well as some practical tips for anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation.

Somma, can you tell us a bit about what happened leading up to your arrest?

Sure. I was in a fight with a boy, the whole thing was petty. He got pissed because I called him a pussy, he got pissed and started beating me. My friends came and called the police, I don’t know how he did it but he set me up with weed and called the police into it.

Wow, how old were you?

I was 19 at the time.

Were you under arrest?

Yes, I  was. There were vigilantes present and they beat me up, they kept badgering me about the weed. Men from the state CID showed up and they put me in handcuffs. 

What happened next?

They took me to the police station, they kept pushing me to accept smoking weed. I was called a criminal, a cultist, this particular man kept shouting at me and threatened to kill me and dump my body in the back where he said other dead bodies were. I was dehydrated and eventually, I succumbed. I said I had an illness and I used weed to help calm my nerves. They asked me to write it down as a statement and that's what I did, it had been hours since my arrest and all I wanted to do was sleep.

What was it like inside the cell?

It was hell. When I arrived at the cell the leader asked me for an entrance fee, I told them that I didn't have that and they said they'd pardon me. I met a woman who asked me why I was arrested and when I told her, she looked at me with disdain. In my head, I wondered why she was here too.

Did anything happen else happen throughout your stay?

Omo a lot happened but I remember some of it. My second day in the cell, the inmates had asked that i dispose of the bucket of urine in the room and I tried protesting but they intimidated me, Guy, if you see this place they called a toilet ehn. If the inmates don't die from hunger, I'm sure soon enough they'll die from something with no cure from poor hygiene. That place requires renovation and proper drainage systems.

How did you get out?

Well, my mum got in touch with a lecturer of mine and he came to bail me.

How did you feel when you got out?

I took it as an experience and went home to smoke my Igbo to feel alright.

Now I'm curious, did you cry?

Of course, just enough to try to convince those officers. 

The real definition of a hard guy. What advice will you give anyone about Nigerian police wahala

GUYYY, avoid them! That’s the only practical thing. People are rotting because they have no one to bail them out, innocent people are rotting there for minor misunderstandings and poor investigation, everyone will be alright sha. 

Thank you so much, Somma, for sharing your experience with us. Being in a police cell can be a very difficult and depressing experience, I'm glad to be able to gain insights from you and share them as well.