Shehu Adamu, popularly known as Ya Malam, regained freedom on April 29, 2025 after 9 years and four months of awaiting trial at the Goron Dutse Correctional Centre in Kano State. He is one of the hundreds of inmates held in correctional facilities across Nigeria, most of them awaiting trial.

Ya Malam, who was based at Nguru, in Yobe State, was accused of being an accomplice in a robbery incident after buying a Nokia 2700 phone associated with it.

After his arrest in connection with the robbery incident in 2015, his case was transferred to Kano State, where his trial continued for over 9 years, until recently when the court discharged and acquitted him. Before his detention, he was a 100-level student of Mass Communication in the University of Jos. He was also the deputy imam of the centre before his release.

Narrating how he was arrested to Weekend Trust, Adamu said, ?I had never been to Kano State till this case started. My elder brother has a phone accessory shop in Guru and I used to also do some business there. One day, someone brought a Nokia 2700 phone and sold it to me; and a few days later, I received a call that some people wanted to see me at my brother?s shop.

?When I got there, I found out that they were policemen. I was taken to Guru police station, and from there, I was taken to Kano State. It was while in Kano that I understood that the phone I bought was taken from a robbery scene; and the victim was killed.

?The trial began at Norman?s Land court in Kano before it was transferred to the Federal High Court on April 29, 2025. Fortunately, the court discharged and acquitted me while others that were found guilty were sentenced to 40 years each.?

Perception of a correctional centre

Not many people know what the inside of a correctional centre entails or looks like. The perception of many is only what they see in movies, but victims like Shehu Adamu know better. Sharing his experience in a correctional centre in Nigeria, Adamu said, ?Before now, I thought that correctional centres were places where only criminals languished, but when I was arrested and taken to one of such facilities, I found out that not every inmate is a criminal; many, like me, are victims of circumstances. To God who made me, there are many inmates, some convicted while others are awaiting trial, who are victims of different circumstances.

?To be honest, what I saw and experienced at the centre was completely different from what I thought it would be. I won?t wish for my enemy to be there, even for a day.

?My initial thought was that whoever happened to be there would never return, but I was wrong. In my over 9 years as an inmate at the centre, I saw many people leaving and returning few days after their release. I found it strange and always wondered why such people took pleasure in coming back to the centre.?

He also said that life at a correctional centre was quite different from what is obtainable outside.

?It is a life of total subjugation, dictatorship and all forms of abuse. Many inmates? lives would never be the same after their release. And people are dying on a daily basis due to hunger and various forms of abuse.

?I know there are people that won?t be happy with what I am about to say here, but I believe that as a Muslim, I owe it as a duty to let the world know what is happening at correctional centres in Nigeria. Perhaps God wanted me to let the concerned authorities know what is actually happening at the centres so that they would rescue innocent souls there.

?Let me start by saying that a lot of young innocent inmates are being sexually abused on a daily basis. Sodomy is rampant and a lot of young inmates have been either forced or cajoled into it. The bottom-line here is that there is hunger threat, especially on the part of those awaiting trial and those convicted. But those on life imprisonment sentences and death row are adequately fed; as such, they use their excess food to lure innocent inmates into sodomy,? he narrated.

Effort to make impact

Speaking on his effort to make an impact and change some of the abnormalities at the centre, Adamu said, ?As the deputy imam of the correctional centre, I preached and used every opportunity I got when people or associations came on a visit to let them know what has been going on in the centre. God is my witness; I have done what I can to draw the attention of the authorities on the plight of inmates in some correctional centres, especially the Goron Dutse centre in Kano, where I was.?

He also said that on a daily basis, many victims of sodomy died at the centre because most of them could no longer sit, even as many of them suffered from different kinds of infection, to the extent that some had maggots coming out from their anuses.

He further noted that hunger and related illnesses were daily companions of inmates.

?I must say that the government is really doing its best providing for the feeding of inmates. As an imam, I had the privilege of staying outside, so I witnessed the supply, which I strongly believe is more than adequate, but unfortunately, not up to 20 per cent of the total food supplied by the government is utilised; hence the serious hunger at the centre.

?I am sure the supply is diverted somewhere else. This is what I would like the authorities to rectify. Also, the centre is overcrowded; and as such, it gives room for all vices to occur. Unfortunately, these things are happening with the knowledge of officials. In some cases, the officials themselves engage in these heinous acts,? Adamu alleged.

No pain no gain

He, however, told Weekend Trust that his experience was not a waste, saying the situation would best be described as no pain no gain, explaining, ?I memorised the whole Qur?an while awaiting trial. I went in with barely 5 Hizif, but I have succeeded in memorising the whole holy book. Moreover, I have studied some Tafseer books and hadiths as well. As I speak, I can do Tafseer, something I never thought I could do.

?It will interest you to know that I bribed my way with 20 pieces of food seasoning to get enrolled into the school to study religious knowledge. I thought my case won?t come to an end, so I dedicated my stay at the centre to preaching and studying.

?My pain is that I lost my mother because she couldn?t take the shock of my detention. I also lost my brother while at the centre. I only have my sister left. Unfortunately, the issue of going back to school is no longer feasible for me.?

While thanking God that he is now a free man, Adamu said there?s the need for the relevant authorities to investigate his claims and resolve them, adding that he wants a better situation for inmates of correctional centres across the country.

Interestingly, Adamu became an author while in detention. He wrote two books on his experience at the centre. He titled the first book, ?My Fate? and the second one ?My Journey,? hoping to publish them someday.

He also told Weekend Trust that he does not have any intention of filing a case to claim damages as all he wants is to return to Guru to see his sister and continue with life. (Weekend Trust, but headline rejigged)