EndSARS: The story of Peter John who fled Boko Haram in Borno and ended up in Kirikiri for 15 months
On the night of April 14, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from their hostel at Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok, south of Borno state. The incident brought the Boko Haram menace to the global spotlight. The international community responded to the kidnap of young girls with a strong outcry for their return. The then US first lady, Michelle Obama, was one of several western leaders who joined in the call to “Bring Back Our Girls.”
In a small village in Askira-Uba, 16-year old Peter John heard about the Boko Haram attack in Chibok, about 25km away. There had been several terrorist attacks in Borno state, but this one was different: the daring nature shocked even his father. That more than 200 schoolgirls were taken away in the dead of night without resistance frightened his parents. If this could happen to the girls, it could happen to anyone. That night, it was agreed that Peter should move to Lagos for his safety.
“That was the end of my schooling,” Peter told Neusroom, “It was also the end of me helping my parents on the farm. For a long time, the routine was to go to school, which was a few kilometres away, and resume at the farm in the afternoon.”
Like many of their neighbours, the small family were farmers, but things had become difficult since Boko Haram terrorism became a thing. Going to the farm required the escort of the army or the local vigilante. If help was not secured on time, the farms were raided by terrorists who occasionally rode bikes through farmlands harvesting the crops and setting the rest on fire.
Perhaps there was another reason his parents asked Peter to go to Lagos. A 2017 UNICEF report highlights the growing and worrying trend of terrorists abducting and recruiting children as child soldiers. More than 3,500 children have been kidnapped as soldiers by terrorists since they began their operation. Perhaps fearing the same might happen to Peter, his parents arranged for him to move to Lagos.
EndSars protest
From 2014 when he arrived in Lagos, Peter worked as a security officer in a house in Lekki, one of the highbrow areas of the city while also sending some money home to his parents in Borno. Although it did not pay much, it offered a much-desired peace of mind. Everything was soon to change.
On Thursday, October 8, 2020, the EndSars protest broke out in Nigeria. It was a culmination of months of complaints about young Nigerians’ indiscriminate shooting and harassment by a notorious unit of the police force, the Special Anti Robbery Squad. Although saddled with the responsibility of tackling armed robbery, the team was accused of human rights abuse, including stereotyping young Nigerians as internet fraudsters leading to extortions and abuse.
When the protest broke, the Lekki tollgate became the hub where young Nigerians gathered to call the government’s attention and the rest of the world to what they considered an injustice. It was there that Peter went to participate in the protest. Although he had not been a victim of police brutality, he felt it was the least he could do in solidarity with young Nigerians who had experienced it.
“I was on my way back home after participating in the protest when the police arrested me. It was on October 23, 2020. I was bundled into a van by armed officers where 11 other boys had also been picked up on the street and drove us to Maroko police station.”
According to the police, he and the other detainees were responsible for setting fire to the toll gate and burning down a police station in Ajah. The police gave them a statement to append their signatures before taking them to Panti, where they spent five days before being arraigned to court. There, a long list of charges was levelled against them, from arson to civil unrest and destruction of properties.
It was there Peter realised the gravity of the situation. He did not deny that he had participated in the protest, but his engagement had only been limited to singing songs and chanting slogans at the tollgate, not burning it or attacking a police station.
When they were being transported to the dreaded Kirikiri Maximum prison, Peter broke down in tears. Located west of Apapa, Kirikiri is synonymous with the Nigerian correctional service. It is also known for its alleged mistreatment of inmates coupled with the problem of overcrowding.
When the van drove into the prison, Peter knew he would be there for a long time. He would end up celebrating two birthdays there.
Life in Kirikiri Maximum prison
In prison, words had gotten around that the pending court cases of inmates were being delayed due to the action of the 12 new people that were just brought in. According to the police, they had set a station on fire and attacked court premises, thereby stalling pending court cases.
“They called us Alejo. We were the visitors who had made things difficult for them. This led to a serious beating on the first day. I was flogged and boxed severely until I lost hearing in one of the ears.”
The food was terrible, according to Peter. It was usually beans soaked the day before and mixed with chilli in the morning before being served cold. It was a choice between hunger and diarrhoea, and most days, he opted for the latter. Those who had money could get better food. In his case, no one even knew he was in detention, so he had to rely solely on the food being provided in prison.
“For weeks, my family did not know where I was. My uncle, whom I was staying with, had to notify my parents in the village that I was missing. They printed my picture and moved from one police station to the other before they found out I was in Kirikiri.”
That was when things changed a bit. They got him a lawyer while his family sold off some household items to raise some money to pay the legal fees. They also sent him some money periodically to purchase better food.
“When I was ill, the beating reduced after I approached the prison marshall to complain and plead. He told the ‘elders’ to reduce the beating. I was also provided with better drugs. My parents worked extra-hard on the farm to raise money.”
When the N200,000 they raised for the legal fees was exhausted, the lawyer managing the case left, and Peter’s problems in detention increased. He begged the elders there, promising to give them money when his parents could send him some. He was worried about his sickness, which he believed was caused by the mosquitos that infested the prison. The windows and doors had bars and no net, so it was cold most nights.
“In late 2020, one of the people arrested and accused of arson was suddenly released. I reached out to him to find out how he did it, and he told me a young human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, facilitated it. I got his number and paid one of the prisoners to use his phone to call him. He asked me to send his number to my family to call him.”
Shortly after Peter’s parents contacted Ogun, he took up the case. Pro bono. In January 2021, Peter appeared in court again and was declared a free man.
“I was the last of 12 people whom the lawyer helped to free from detention. I don’t know how well to express my gratitude to him. I did not pay him a penny. The day I walked out of prison, I was overwhelmed with joy. I am very grateful to him as it is because of him I am out of that hell I went through.”
However, Peter is done with Lagos as he told Neusroom that the incident had taken its toll on him, and he would instead return to Borno state than continue to live in Lagos. The memories of life in detention are too painful, and being close to the prison is too much for him to bear.
“Every day here reminds me of what I went through. I was robbed of 15 months of my life for participating in a protest by being kept in prison with hardened criminals. I celebrated two birthdays there. It’s too much, and I want to be close to my family.”
Although Boko Haram attacks have reduced, pockets of violent attacks are still being carried out by the terrorists. For Peter, it is not enough to deter him from returning after what he has gone through in Lagos.
