Seun Egbegbe, the Nigerian filmmaker and producer, has spoken out about his time in jail.
The filmmaker was remanded in prison on February 10, 2017, after being suspected of acquiring money under false pretenses from over 40 Bureau De Change operators.
Between 2015 and 2017, Egbegbe scammed the operators by promising to exchange significant sums of naira for foreign currency.
Police charged him with fraud of $90,000, £12,550, and ₦39,098,100.
The court granted him N5 million bail, but he was unable to meet the terms and remained in detention.
After five years and eight months in prison, he was acquitted in 2022.
In a recent interview with actress Biola Adebayo, Egbegbe described his early jail experience as a “nightmare”.
The filmmaker said he begged earnestly for survival because his fellow detainees were dying on a daily basis.
“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.