Seun Egbegbe, the Nigerian filmmaker and producer, has opened up about his experience during his time in jail.
The filmmaker was remanded in prison on February 10, 2017, after being accused of obtaining money by pretense from about 40 Bureau De Change operators.
Between 2015 and 2017, Egbegbe defrauded the operators by promising to exchange large sums of naira into foreign currencies.
The police charged him with fraud involving $90,000, £12,550, and ₦39,098,100.
The court granted him N5 million bail but he could not meet the conditions and remained in custody.
After five years and eight months behind bars, he was finally acquitted in 2022.
Egbegbe, in a recent chat with Biola Adebayo, the actress, described his early days in jail as a “nightmare”.
The filmmaker said he prayed fervently for survival because his fellow inmates died every day.
“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 also recounted the harsh reality of the “welcome cell”, a holding area for new prisoners. He claimed that if twenty people were brought in overnight, at least two would be found dead by morning.
The filmmaker argued that he was sent to jail on just one count after his lawyer helped him clear the other 44 charges.
He further expressed his desire to visit prisons across Nigeria to support inmates.
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