Nigerian filmmaker and producer Seun Egbegbe shared his reflections on his time spent in a correctional facility.
In a recent interview with actress Biola Adebayo on the
‘Talk to B’ podcast, Egbegbe expressed that he engaged in intense prayers for
his survival while incarcerated.
He conveyed his gratitude to God for his rescue, while also
highlighting the alarming reality that inmates are losing their lives on a
daily basis within the prison system.
“I told God that if you truly exist, then I must leave here
alive,” he said. “People die every day in that prison. It is not a good place.
If you go and return, thank God. Know that He loves you. He has given you a
second chance to live.”
Egbegbe shared his experiences regarding the grim conditions
of the "welcome cell," a detention area designated for newly admitted
prisoners.
He asserted that among twenty individuals brought in
overnight, it was common to find at least two deceased by the following
morning.
The filmmaker was incarcerated on February 10, 2017,
following allegations of defrauding approximately 40 Bureau De Change
operators.
Between 2015 and 2017, he deceived these operators by
assuring them he would convert substantial amounts of naira into foreign
currencies.
The police charged him with fraud involving sums totaling
$90,000, £12,550, and ₦39,098,100. Although the court set his bail at N5
million, he was unable to fulfill the requirements and remained in detention.
After spending five years and eight months in prison, he was
ultimately acquitted in 2022. Egbegbe contended that he was convicted on a
single charge, as his attorney successfully helped him dismiss the other 44
allegations.
He also expressed a strong interest in visiting prisons
throughout Nigeria to provide support to inmates.