Obasanjo Recalls Prison Experience: ‘I Told the Superintendent, When I Get Out, I’ll Sue You’

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has shared a powerful story about his time in prison under the military regime. He was jailed during the rule of General Sani Abacha, but was later released after Abacha’s sudden death in 1998.

In a video shared by SYMFONI TV, speaking at an event, Obasanjo explained how he received the news of his freedom. According to him, the announcement was made on the radio and television, but nothing reached him directly inside the prison that day.

“In the evening, the superintendent, who normally never came to my cell,” Obasanjo recalled. “He came to my cell, I was bold and told him, ‘Superintendent, when I come out of here, I will sue you, because you detained me the way you shouldn’t have.’”

The prison officer calmly responded, telling him that he only acted on instructions from his headquarters, not from what he heard on the radio or TV.

The next morning, everything changed. “At 9 o’clock, he came to Obasanjo’s cell, saluted him smartly for the first time, and said, he could go.

Obasanjo was immediately flown from Yola to Lagos in a presidential jet. From there, he was escorted by police to his farm.