BY ’TUNDE THOMAS
At 64, Sunday Oladapo is not a happy man. At an age when he is expected to have settled down with his own family, Oladapo is still looking for a wife, and not only that, he is an unemployed squatter who still depends on handout from good Samaritans to survive.
Despite his travails, Oladapo believes that God will intervene in his case one day as he has not relented in praying for divine intervention.
How did Oladapo find himself in this situation? Amid tears, Oladapo, who spent 20 years on death row inside Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos, told Saturday Sun that he had a good beginning and future was bright for him until he had a problem which was not only threatening to destroy his life but which also could have led to his untimely exit from the world.
According to him, “My sojourn into the world of sorrow and agony started on August 20, 1982. Then I was a vibrant young carpenter. I was making it in my business – I had good patronage at Amukoko where my workshop was located. As it is normal with youths, some young men in the neighbourhood used to come and play in my workshop. Some of them used to smoke Indian hemp, and the landlords were not happy with this. On several occasions, they came to my workshop to bar these boys from my workshop, but I paid little attention to these landlords.”
While saying that if he had known, he should have heeded the landlords’ warning, Oladapo said: “Rather than listening to these landlords, I snubbed them, there was a day they came to warn me as usual, but as they were asking me to banish those young men from my workshop, I barked at them warning them that they should henceforth stopped coming to my shop as I’m a landlord in my own right just as they are landlords in their own houses. As they made to depart, a small crowd that had gathered hailed me, but as they were leaving, one of the embarrassed landlords told me that I should watch out for who will laugh last.”
Few days after Oladapo’s face-off with the landlords, an armed robbery took place in the neighbourhood, and when policemen investigating the robbery came to the area, the landlords took them to Oladapo’s shop telling the detectives that young men of questionable character usually hibernate in his shop.
Oladapo was subsequently arrested, and taken to Iponri Police Station. “It was then I remembered my encounter with them in my workshop where after I had obviously embarrassed them, they later told me that I should watch out for who will laugh last,” Oladapo said.
The ex-convict further told Saturday Sun, that from Iponri Police Station, he was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, from where he was later arraigned for armed robbery before a High Court in Ikeja.
After a trial, which lasted a year, Oladapo was sentenced to death by firing squad. From the court premises he was driven straight in a Black Maria to Kirikiri Maximum Prison where he was to spend the next 20 years on death row.
Describing life on death row as harrowing, Oladapo said it was God that spared his life as he witnessed hundreds of execution and hangings of several prison inmates.
“I still strongly believe that God has a purpose for my life. If not, I would have perished with others during my sojourn on death row. There was a particular day over 100 death row inmates were executed by firing squad. It was a day, I will never forget in my life. I thought that was even my last day as armed soldiers accompanied by warders keep on coming to our cells to remove inmates for execution. It was later we were told that the military government that was in power then had ordered a mass decongestion of cells harbouring death row inmates. I had said my last prayers but miraculously God spared my life,” he said.
Asked to recollect some interesting experiences he had while in prison, Oladapo said: “Having spent 20 years on death row, and another nine years as an inmate on life imprisonment, I had become a landlord in Kirikiri Maximum Prison. It is not possible for somebody to spend 29 years in prison and not to have memorable experiences.”
Continuing, he said: “I was on death row for 20 years until 2003 when former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, commutted my death sentence to life imprisonment. It was governor Babatunde Fashola during the anniversary of his second year in office that set me free in 2009.”
While saying that those events that will ever remain evergreen in his memory were the encounters he had in the prison with the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha, Chief Bode George, and Ade Bendel, Oladapo said there were also others who can’t be easily forgotten.
On Bode George, he said: “These three men I just mentioned met me in the prison, because of his status, Bode George was not lumped in the common cells, he was living in a place very befitting going by prison standards. About three or four inmates were detailed to be attending to his needs.
“I was directly supervising those inmates. But my own major job was to ensure that I take food brought to Bode George to him in his cell. He wasn’t being detained in a cell, but in a bungalow which looked like a former office. The food can be cooked one or raw food items to be cooked for him. I usually collect these items from the Prison Controller’s office, and take it to Baba as we usually called Bode George.”
Describing Bode George as a jovial character, Oladapo said: “Each time, I showed up in his cell either to deliver his food to him, to shine his shoes or sandals, Baba would joke with me. He was also generous, on several occasions, he ordered his wife to prepare meals for prison inmates.”
Another side of Bode George’s character which Oladapo can’t forget was the spiritual rejuvenation of him.
“Bode George became a prayer warrior. He didn’t joke with prayers. At times when I took food or any item to him and I met him praying, he would signal to me that I should wait and not disturb him until he finished his spiritual exercise. Baba didn’t joke with prayers at all. On several occasions, he prayed for me that I would not die in detention. He also prayed for other inmates. At a point, some of us started calling him Baba Warrior,” he recalled.
Oladapo revealed that on the day he was leaving prison, Bode George after praying for him, gave him 100 dollars – as a parting gift.
“Bode George shed tears of joy for me. He was happy when he heard about my release. After praying for me, he brought out a 100 dollar note and gave it to me. Baba was such a nice fellow.”
On Ade Bendel, Oladapo said the popular socialite was not only nice to him but that he was also generous to other prison inmates.
“When Ade Bendel came to the prison, he became a changed man, sober and deeply religious, and I remember that during one of our prison fellowship prayer meetings, he told us that he had a dream that God told him that he should build a place of worship inside the prison. To the surprise of all of us, Ade Bendel, within 21 days after he left the prison, built a chapel inside Kirikiri Maximum Prison.”
On a personal note, Oladapo said he can never forget Ade Bendel because he footed the medical bill he incurred on an eye operation.
“The operation cost N75,000 but Ade Bendel paid the money and not only that, he also procured medicated eyeglasses for me.”
On his relationship with Al-Mustapha, Oladapo said he was not as close to the former Chief Security Officer like he was to Bode George and Ade Bendel.
“Al-Mustapha was a lively person. He was involved in a lot of sporting activities. He was organising football competitions for inmates. He always showered encomiums on me whenever I polished his sandals or shoes. He usually tells me that the way I shine his sandals always remind him of his life as a military officer, and the Army,” he said.
The 64-year-old Oladapo, who is now unhappy, lonely and sorrowful however wants Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode and some good spirited Nigerians to come to his help.
How does he want the governor to help him, you ask; Oladapo didn’t mince words before he quickly said: “I want Ambode to marry for me. God used Tinubu and Fashola to secure my release from prison, but I still believe that the same God will enter Ambode’s mind to assist me. I want to raise my own family, with wife and children. But now, I’m a poor man. I’m even a squatter. I’m not a lazy man, I’m ready to work, I just need some form of assistance to start a new life.”
“The governor is a nice man. He has been assisting other people including those who are homeless or those who gave birth to quadruplets – I believe that my own case is not beyond his intervention. If I have decent accommodation, money to purchase tools for my carpentry work and also a workshop, I believe ladies will start coming and even when I call them, they will listen to me. Can you see any woman that is ready to listen to a poor man or somebody that is jobless?”, he asked no one in particular.
Expressing his optimism that he will survive the rough weather he is passing through, Oladapo said: “It will not continue like this forever. I believe that God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whom I truly serve and worship will not abandon me. My plea is just that well to do Nigerians should come to my aid, I don’t want to die in this state. I believe that I’m destined to make it in life, but I need helpers to help me fulfill my destiny.”