A final year student of Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Olusola Babatunde, says he was detained by the police for 82 days and nearly contracted COVID-19 at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Garki, Abuja.

Babatunde said he was detained for creating a parody account of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Babatunde said, “There was no social distancing. I guess the people in the cells are exceptional. It is like COVID-19 doesn’t infect them and this is despite the fact that new suspects are brought in everyday without testing.

“However, we had an incident just once. There was a Chinese man who was a gold miner who fell ill. He was taken to a hospital and tested positive for COVID-19; so. he was hurriedly released.

“He was in the Force Intelligence Bureau Department. So, only the suspects in that cell were tested. We were all at risk of getting infected with COVID-19.”

The student said while in custody, he was fed twice a day and wore the same clothes for 82 days and was only allowed to wash his clothes every four days.

“It wasn’t easy. I spent 82 days in detention and I was transferred to three different cells. I wore the same clothes for 82 days,” Babatunde said.

The student said he felt betrayed that former President Jonathan could order his arrest because he was one of his biggest supporters.

Babatunde said, “The funny thing is that I even tweeted good things about Goodluck Jonathan a few weeks before my arrest. I said Jonathan’s administration was better than that of the current President. So, I was shocked, but this is Nigeria.”

When asked if he was still a fan of Jonathan, Babatunde responded laughingly, “May God help us.”

Narrating how he was arrested, the student said his uncle called him that policemen wanted to see him.

The student said on getting to his uncle’s house, the police arrested him and did not reveal to him the reason for his arrest.