I once slept in a prison for 2 days- Nigerian singer Tems narrates bitter odeal

November 1, 2023 Joshua Samuel

Temilade Openiyi, better known by her stage name Tems, is a Grammy-winning Nigerian singer who has shared her story of being imprisoned for two days in Uganda.

According to Wakenews, Tems and Omah Lay were taken into custody, charged with a crime, and imprisoned in Uganda for attending a concert at the Speke Resort in Kampala on December 12th, violating COVID-19 social distancing laws.

Tems, however, maintained that they did not violate COVID-19 regulations in a recent interview with Angie Martinez of Power 105.1 FM in New York, asserting that “it was a setup.”

The Oscar-nominated diva stressed how quickly she adjusts, saying that she was “already settling in” and that she didn’t think she would be released from prison.

We didn’t violate the COVID-19 regulations, Tems stated. It looked like a setup, really. We traveled to Uganda, where I performed. Though they had already opened things up, it was during the COVID-19 year. In Uganda, they had just concluded a rally. Individuals were leaving. The lockdown wasn’t in place. It was what came following.

“And the organizers claimed to have the permission; they emailed it to us.” It was all pretty cool. And went there, where there was this one artist, whose role I don’t know anymore, who was just busy threatening Nigerian artists not to attend. And the police showed up after the show. They wore no uniforms. I just heard them knock on my motel room. I was eating lunch or dinner with my manager. My manager claimed he would accompany them when they simply arrived and told us to follow them.

Thus, he accompanied them. However, they returned upstairs to look for me. It was like, who gave them a call? Afterward, I discovered that they were acting strange… That was really creepy. I was in prison for two nights. I didn’t think I would come out. I wondered if there was a purpose for what I was going through. Perhaps this is my chance to assist those incarcerated, I thought to myself. I won’t lie—it was insane. I was getting comfortable since I adjusted quickly.

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Joshua Samuel

A conscientious writer with a knack and passion for story telling which spans across different sectors and segments. I love telling stories in writing and bringing quality, authentic and timely information to everyone everywhere.

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