“If You Had Seen Me There, You Would Have Cried” — Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat Recounts Ordeal Inside Agodi Prison Single Cell

 

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Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat has opened up about his harrowing experience inside the notorious Single Cell at Agodi Correctional Centre, widely regarded as the most dangerous detention cell in the prison. 

In a deeply emotional account, Hamzat described the cell as a place reserved for what prison officials term “stubborn criminals,” a space designed to break the spirit of anyone confined within it.

According to Hamzat, the Single Cell is completely devoid of basic human amenities. There is no toilet facility, no escape route, and no dignity. “Once a person is locked inside, there is no toilet; if the inmate needs to use the restroom, it must be done inside the cell,” he recounted.

Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding his arrest last year, Hamzat explained that he was detained alongside Queen Naomi and a school principal.

 While Queen Naomi was taken to the women’s section and the principal placed in a regular cell, Hamzat was singled out and transferred to the dreaded Single Cell. Shocked by the decision, he questioned the prison warden. “I asked the warden why I was being held there and he said it was an order from above.”

The conditions inside the cell were nothing short of traumatic. “If you had seen me in that cell, you would have cried for me,” Hamzat said. 

He further revealed that even the prison wardens were uncomfortable with his treatment. One of them reportedly pleaded with him, admitting that the situation was beyond his control. “If there was a fire outbreak, we would all get burnt because there was no means of escape,” the warden allegedly confessed.

One of the most disturbing moments Hamzat recalled was being forced to defecate into a bowl and keep it beside him overnight due to the absence of toilet facilities. In another emotional revelation, he stated, “A warden once came to visit me and he broke down in tears.”

Hamzat believes his imprisonment was unjust and rooted in malice rather than wrongdoing. “I was imprisoned because I love children. I don’t joke with children,” he said. The pain of welcoming the New Year behind bars still haunts him. “Jan 1, 2025 met me in the cell.”

He also described how his family members visited him in detention, overwhelmed with tears. “My family members visited me and were crying. I didn’t deserve what happened to me.”

Concluding his account, Hamzat issued a sobering warning and placed his faith in divine justice: “Trust nobody. God knows the person behind this and He will reward everyone accordingly.”

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