Shehu Adamu, popularly known as Ya Malam, a native of Guru in Yobe State and a former 100-level Mass Communication student at the University of Jos, has regained his freedom after spending more than nine years in detention without conviction.
Arrested in 2015 over a robbery case linked to a stolen mobile phone, he was acquitted by the Federal High Court on April 29, 2025.Adamu has accused the Goron Dutse Correctional Facility in Kano of widespread hunger and sexual abuse.
He told the media that he bought a Nokia 2700 phone, unaware it had been stolen during a robbery that resulted in a fatality. He said he had never been to Kano before the incident.
“I had never been to Kano State till this case started,” he said.
“I bought the phone from someone who came to my brother’s shop. A few days later, I was arrested and taken to Kano. That’s when I learned the phone was linked to a robbery and murder.”
While others implicated in the case received 40-year jail terms, Adamu spent over nine years in detention before being cleared of any wrongdoing.
He said that “many young inmates are sexually abused daily. Some are forced or lured with food. I saw victims who couldn’t sit due to injuries, some with infections and maggots coming out of their anuses. Many died in silence.”
Adamu, who served as deputy imam in custody, said he raised these issues with visiting religious groups.
“God is my witness, I used every opportunity to preach and inform visitors about what was happening,” he said.
He also accused officials of diverting food supplies meant for inmates.
“As an imam, I sometimes saw food deliveries. The supplies were enough, but less than 20 percent reached inmates. The rest was diverted. That’s why hunger kills people in there,” he claimed. “These things happen with the knowledge—and sometimes involvement—of officials.”
Despite the harsh conditions, Adamu said he dedicated himself to religious study. “I memorised the entire Qur’an while awaiting trial. I went in with five Hizf and came out with the full Qur’an, tafsir, and hadith knowledge. I even wrote two books—My Fate and My Journey—based on my experience.”
He said his detention devastated his family.
“My mother died from the shock of my arrest. My brother,;too. I only have my sister now. Returning to school is no longer an option.”
Adamu said he is not seeking compensation but called for an investigation into the state of Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
“I just want to go home, see my sister, and move on. But authorities must act. Innocent lives are wasting away in these centres,” he said.
In response, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Kano State Command, denied the allegations.
In a statement signed by Musbahu Lawan K/Nasarawa, Chief Superintendent of Corrections and spokesperson for the Command, the service described Adamu’s claims as false.
“Contrary to the claim that Shehu Adamu spent nine years awaiting trial, official records show he was remanded for only four months on charges of conspiracy and criminal breach of trust before his release,” the statement said, adding that any other account was an attempt to mislead the public.
The Command also denied that Adamu was ever held at Goron Dutse, stating instead, that “he was remanded at the Kurmawa Custodial Centre, as documented in the official registers.”
On the abuse allegations, the Command stated: “The claims of sodomy, rape, and deaths due to hunger are baseless and unsupported by evidence.” It added that the Kano Command strictly adheres to the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019.
