He spent the next 8 years in prison, waiting for his case to be heard.
He is not alone.
68% of inmates in 🇳🇬 prisons are awaiting trial.
Full vid: bbc.in/36vVzDR
Produced by me
🎥 @josh_akinyemi
A handful of the inmates were wearing prison uniforms, most were in ordinary clothes.
It was my first time in a Naira prison so I assumed it was just Naija anyhowness or a budget issue.
So I asked a guard.
I was surprised.
The vast majority of men were in ordinary clothes, and by
vast majority I mean it was essentially a case of ‘spot the man in uniform.’
I got talking to a man wearing ordinary clothes.
I asked him how long he’d been in prison for and he said 6 years.
He said he was hopeful he’d get a date soon, but until then he was focused on gaining skills.
He'd taken some vocational training and was taking each day at a time.
Alongside overcrowding, the issue of 'awaiting trial inmates' (as they're known) has been long-standing.
I met with @ADEKAHMED, the Executive Director of PRAI, who has worked on dozens of cases like this.
Babagana described some of the difficulties he faced in prison, but says he found solace in his faith.
His fathers whereabouts are currently unknown, his mother and sisters fled to Cameroon.
He is still in touch with them and hopes one day they will be reunited.
Indiscriminate arrests, too few magistrates and the slow dispensation of justice have been cited as reasons why.