Samuel Okpabi, a 51-year-old man from Benue State, Nigeria, has recounted how he spent 28 years in prison after being falsely accused of armed robbery by a police sergeant.

According to Okpabi, he was just 23 years old when he was sent to prison by a court in Ibadan.

He explained that he used to love football and a young boy would visit their house to play football with him and his brother. The boy's father later warned him to stop the boy from visiting their house, but Okpabi told the father that he was not the one inviting the boy to their house.

One day, while Okpabi was cooking yam at home, he heard the sound of a motorcycle and a vehicle outside. When he went outside to check, someone pointed at him and shouted that he was an armed robber. He was beaten and taken to a place where he was tied up. He was later taken to the Apata police station and then transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ibadan, where he spent a week.

He said: "I used to like football very well, and there was a little boy who used to visit our house because he also loves football." On a fateful day, the boy's father came to our house and warned me in the presence of my brother that he didn't want his son visiting our house. I told the little boy to stop visiting, but he refused, so I told his father that I wasn't the one inviting the boy because he usually comes to meet us in the field."

Okpabi claimed that Sergeant Leo demanded N30,000 from his elder brother to stop the case from going to court, but his brother couldn't raise the money. In court, the police sergeant allegedly threw a newspaper at Okpabi, telling the complainant that Okpabi was the one who robbed him. Okpabi's efforts to prove his innocence were unsuccessful, and he ended up spending 28 years in prison.

Despite the ordeal, Okpabi said he has forgiven the police officer who falsely accused him and has no plans to seek compensation. He urged the government to ensure that innocent people are not unjustly incarcerated, as he believes that many others are still languishing in prison for crimes they did not commit. (Opera News)

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