By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – The Cross River State correspondent of Triumph Newspaper, Alhaji Musa Kutama, has recounted his harrowing experience after spending 10 days in police custody following his arrest in Calabar and transfer to Sokoto over a bail matter involving his in-law.
According to Daily Post, Kutama was apprehended by police operatives after the in-law, for whom he had stood surety, absconded.
He was later released on the orders of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 10 Sokoto, Grimah Gyogon, after the said in-law was arrested in Calabar and transported to Sokoto.
The case stemmed from an alleged timber deal in which Kutama’s in-law reportedly arranged the transportation of wood valued at over ₦10 million to Sokoto.
The truck driver allegedly diverted the consignment and fled, prompting the owner to petition the police in Sokoto.
This led to a wide-ranging investigation and subsequent arrests, including Kutama, who was accused of theft and conspiracy.
The veteran journalist narrated that he and others arrested in Calabar were transported overnight to Sokoto, with stopovers at police stations in Enugu and Jere, Kaduna State, where they spent two nights in “deplorable” conditions.
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“We slept in unhygienic, overcrowded cells with no proper facilities. Bedbugs and lice were everywhere,” he said. “The cell I stayed in at Sokoto was overrun with bedbugs.”
Kutama noted that despite identifying himself as a journalist, he remained in detention until AIG Gyogon intervened. He also dismissed claims that bail is free in Nigeria.
“Let nobody deceive anybody in this country that bail is free. I had to borrow money from my Quranic students in Sokoto and friends in Calabar to raise a significant amount for bail and to transport myself back to Calabar,” he stated.
