Man Recounts Spending Nearly 30 Years in Prison Over Alleged Wrongful Conviction

A Nigerian man has recounted a heartbreaking experience of spending nearly three decades in prison after being wrongfully linked to the death of a friend.

The man, whose story recently surfaced online, revealed that he was arrested and remanded in prison at the age of 19 after authorities accused him of being involved in the death of a man he shared a room with at the time. Eyes Of Lagos reports,

Speaking in an emotional account, he disclosed that he spent 29 years, eight months, and three days behind bars over an incident he insists he had no hand in.

“I went to prison at the age of 19. I spent 29 years, eight months, and three days behind bars simply because I was sleeping in the same room with a friend who later died,” he said.

According to him, the prolonged incarceration occurred despite the absence of concrete evidence directly linking him to the death, a situation that has reignited public outrage over Nigeria’s criminal justice system.

Following the circulation of the video online, many Nigerians took to social media to express anger, sadness, and frustration over what they described as a grave miscarriage of justice.

Reacting to the story, a social media user, @tobialism, described the situation as deeply painful while expressing relief that the man has finally regained his freedom.

Another user, @OloriOfOloris, lamented what they described as a systemic failure, noting that proper investigation into the cause of death should have cleared the man long ago.

Similarly, @Greatpeter02 criticised the slow pace of justice in Nigeria, questioning how an investigation could take decades to resolve, while calling for urgent reforms within the justice system.

The story has continued to generate intense debate online, with many Nigerians calling for compensation, accountability, and a comprehensive review of cases involving long-term pretrial detention and wrongful convictions.

“I went to prison at the age of 19. I spent 29 years, 8 months, and three days behind bars simply because I was sleeping in a room with a friend who later d!ed.”🥺🥹

—Man reveals pic.twitter.com/9khTFO5yyF

— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) January 3, 2026