Some of the teenagers freed from detention on Monday by President Bola Tinubu have been speaking about their two months ordeal while in police custody.
In an interview with the Punch they mentioned that they went on without food for days even as they were kept in dark holding cells along side hardened criminals.
Their plight came to light when they were brought to court for trial on charges of treason and terrorism at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja last Friday. Looking gaunt and unkempt some of them fainted as they took their plea causing a national outrage. President Tinubu promptly ordered their immediate release.
“We suffered greatly in detention. Sometimes we went up to three days without food, and when food was available, it was barely enough to sustain us,” said 15 years-old Umar Ali
“We rarely saw sunlight in our holding area, which is why some of us struggled to see clearly when we appeared in court.”
For 16-year-old Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, the trauma of being kept in a cell hardened criminals was horrifying.
“I was arrested on August 15 and taken to Abuja the next day, where we were held at the Abattoir SARS facility, mixed with criminals.
“They served us beans in the morning, rice for lunch, and gabza for dinner.”
The teenagers are under observation in the hospital. They are expected to remain there for four to five days before reuniting with their families.
