How Publisher Of ‘One Nigeria Television’ Allegedly Imprisoned Staff For Resigning
A Nigerian lawyer, Funke Adeoye has successfully secured the release of a man simply identified as Nicholas, a 26-year-old photographer, who was allegedly imprisoned by his boss for resigning.
he boss, Oluwole Mike, who is the owner of Pesther Photostudio in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and publisher of One Nigeria Television, was said to have been angry with Nicholas because he resigned via a text message.
https://x.com/thefunkeadeoye/status/1828505888757551262?t=Ve2_zGDym0bQNC8FmjdwKQ&s=19
Posting the story on X, Adeoye said the incident began in October 2023 when Nicholas, also a graduate and keyboardist, sent a resignation text to his employer.
She said the resignation reportedly angered Oluwole Mike, who then allegedly had Nicholas arrested.
Initially detained for two days, Nicholas was charged with “intentional insult” and subsequently locked up in a cell with 189 other inmates at a prison in Keffi, as he could not afford the bail sum, initially set at ₦100,000 and later reduced to ₦50,000.
She expressed that despite the employer withdrawing the charges, Nicholas remained imprisoned, unable to secure his release due to financial constraints, adding that, two weeks ago, a whistleblower informed the legal advocacy group Hope Behind Bars about Nicholas’s situation. Following this, a friend of the organization donated ₦50,000 anonymously, which was used to secure Nicholas’s release.
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She wrote, ‘’This is Nicholas. A 26 year old graduate, photographer & Keyboardist.
“Sometime in October 2023, Nicholas sent a text message to his boss resigning his role as a photographer in the photo studio.
“His boss was angry at the content of the text message & got him arrested.
“From spending 2 days in police detention, he ended up being charged for “intentional insult”, locked up & up in a room with 189 other cell mates at a prison in Keffi because he could not afford the bail sum initially N100,000 & later N50,000.
“He remained there even after the said boss, a politician in the current administration & owner of a popular photography studio in FCT wrote a letter to the court withdrawing the charge.
“Two weeks ago, someone hinted @hopebehindbar about Nicholas plight and @thehassanian reached out to a friend of his who donated N50,000 anonymously.
“The first picture is a picture of Nicholas 2 months before prison, second is a picture of him when we got him out last week and the third is a picture of him at @hopebehindbar office today.”
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
