In 2018, Hammid Tirimisiyu left his house in Lagos like any other evening. He was heading to pick up the commercial bus he shared with a friend.He never made it back home.He never got to hold his newborn child.
He never saw the inside of a courtroom.
For 7 years, he was locked away, forgotten by a justice system that never listened to him.
That night, Hammid saw a fellow driver broken down on the road and stopped to help. As they worked on the bus, local area boys approached, accusing them of “illegal parking” and demanding payment.A fight broke out.Fearing for his safety, Hammid ran into a nearby uncompleted building. But the construction workers there mistook him for a thief.
They beat him up.
Dragged him to the police.
And from that moment, his voice was silenced.
Three days of torture at the police station.Two months in SARS, subjected to more inhumane treatment.Then, on August 31, 2018, he was arraigned… not for trial, but to be locked away in Kirikiri Correctional Centre.No lawyer.
No trial.
No contact with family.His wife was 7 months pregnant when he was arrested.
Their child would be 7 years old before Hammid ever left that prison gate.We were in court for another case on May 28, 2025, when we heard Hammid’s name mentioned.We followed up. We insisted the file be found.
We wrote reminders.
We made sure he was finally brought to court.The judge was stunned to learn this man had been in custody for 7 years over charges that wouldn’t even carry that sentence if proven guilty.Even the prosecutor hadn’t seen the DPP advice that was ready since December 2018.
On June 27, 2025, the prosecution admitted they couldn’t find any witnesses.
The court struck out the case.
And just like that, after 2,492 days… Hammid was free.He walked out trembling, grateful, and unsure if it was really happening.“I can’t believe I’ll taste freedom again. I’ll never forget what Headfort did for me.”He had learned tailoring in prison.
He planned to go to Epe and start over.
But most of all, he just wanted to hold his child for the very first time.
There Are Still Thousands Like Him.
For every Hammid we reach, there are hundreds we haven’t .
Men and women wasting away in Nigerian prisons, uncharged, unheard, unseen.
Their only crime? Being poor and forgotten.
- This piece came from Headfort Foundation for Justice. It is to highlight the plight of many innocent citizens detained in Nigerian prisons and appeal for funds to champion the cause of the downtrodden