For 10 weeks, Khalid Aminu, a Kaduna resident, was in Department of State Services (DSS) custody for being one of the organisers of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest. He was arrested on August 3 and was accused of disrupting public order and mobilising others through loud music for it. He was also accused of, sewing and displaying Russian-coloured flags even though they first appeared three days after his arrest. After spending time in detention, his case was struck out for lack of merit by the High Court for lacking merit. In this interview with FIJ’s Opeyemi Lawal, he shares details of his time in detention.

What led to your unlawful detention?

I was arrested for being one of the organisers of the #EndBadGoverance protests and for coming out to exercise my right to protest.

Were you charged with any crime?

According to the amended charge sheet, I was arrested for two offences. The first was for organising an unauthorised public assembly tagged the #End BadGovernance protest. They said during the protest, we engaged in acts intended to disrupt public order by mobilising persons through loud music, chanting, sewing and displaying of the Russian coloured flags, Jerseys and headbands which were calculated to incite public disunity and undermine national cohesion.

The second charge was for unlawfully gathering in Kaduna and engaging in the protest and that it led to protest which led to the disruption of citizens’ daily activities.

This was what they said, but the Russian flag didn’t even peak until the second week of August, which was around 5 and 6. But I was arrested on August 3. They arrested me illegally because I was not doing anything wrong, and if there was justice, they would release or charge me, but they didn’t.

Were you ever arraigned before a judge?

Yes, after two months of unlawful detention. But they eventually applied to withdraw the charges because it was all cooked, we were hoping to go for the trial.

How long were you in there for?

I was detained for 11 weeks. 10 weeks in the DSS custody and remanded by the Federal High Court for one week at the correctional facility in Kaduna.

What was it like in detention?

It was a terrible experience, and it still lingers in my thoughts. I’m still not feeling well as a result of the inhumane treatment I received from the DSS, torture, maltreatment, malnutrition, bad living conditions, and denial of my basic rights to speak to family and legal representation. There was no excuse for this, just abuse of rights.

Does this break your spirit in any way?

They may break my body and try to break my psychological stamina but my spirit and advocacy for good governance remains intact.

What were some of the unusual things you saw, heard or happened to you in detention?

Living conditions; the food they gave was nowhere near what could sustain me. Even my four-year-old son could eat that food and still ask for more but unfortunately, that was what they gave me for 10 weeks.

The torture was not random, it was calculated I was beaten mercilessly, water was poured on me, I was tased, made to crawl in the gutter, and roll on sharp grass with clothing amid all sorts of insects. I didn’t have access to something as cheap as sunlight for 58 days. My life was shut down for those 11 weeks. This was just one of the things they did, there was no reason for it.

My family, my work, my business and as you’d expect the bills didn’t stop coming so I came back home to a lot of debt, crashed business and a lot of things all because I called an end to bad governance. Someone should be held accountable or responsible for this.

They would give us two meals per day, the first one between 11 am and 1 pm, while the second came between 3 pm and 5 pm. The first meal would be rice which is not up to what my four-year-old would eat, and the second meal would be one wrap of swallow which is also very small.

The container used in serving us is about one litre and they give only one-third of it for the rice or sweet potatoes. And for the water, they gave us two sachets each day.

You said something about being tased, does this mean you were shocked with an electrical device that made you have involuntary muscle contractions?

Yes.

What was your cell like and how many people were in it?

That keeps changing depending on the people in holding. Sometimes 15, sometimes less. There were bedbugs in that place. All 39 of us were diagnosed with ulcers. There were infections too and it was really bad.

We weren’t even allowed to bathe; there was water, but you know it was the rainy season, so even if you wanted to, you couldn’t.

Do you plan to seek redress?

I’m still looking at my options and that will be decided in due course.

What were you doing before the incarceration?

I’m an engineering consultant, contractor and entrepreneur.

How do you plan to move on from this?

Honestly, I don’t know because my livelihood has been affected a lot, but then, with the help of family and friends, I will pull through Insha Allah.

How does it feel to be back home?

Great. There is no place like home. My wife and child were even more terrified than I was when I was in detention.