Inside Yaba Panti: TikToker Olas Recounts Harrowing Two Days Detained Over False HIV Claim Against Dayo Amusa

A TikTok content creator known as Olas has shared a harrowing account of his two-day detention at the notorious Yaba Panti Police Station following a social media post falsely claiming that Nollywood actress Dayo Amusa was living with HIV. This experience, he revealed, was the worst ordeal of his life since the death of his mother.

Upon arrival in the crowded cell, Olas recounted being confronted by inmates demanding he prostrate and greet them as a form of submission. The cell was squalid and cramped, housing approximately 60 detainees. Four pit latrines, without any doors or partitions, stood openly in the confined space, saturating the air with a pungent odor. The ramshackle cell had no furniture except for some rickety bunk beds occupied by inmate leaders, while others, including Olas, slept on cold tiled floors plagued by mosquitoes.

Olas described begging to use the latrine, which was granted, but the terrible sight and smell left a lasting impression on him. He said he was told that while his cell was the ‘best,’ a second, darker cell existed where new inmates often faced brutal beatings due to a lack of surveillance cameras.

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Fortunately for Olas, a cell leader recognized him from TikTok and intervened to shield him from harsh treatment. This protection extended to securing him a worn and odorous bed—though it was still far from comfortable.

Inmates shared with Olas that the cell he occupied was once the same one used to incarcerate popular Nigerian singer Naira Marley, who has publicly complained about the deplorable detention conditions during his stay.

Olas expressed profound gratitude towards Dayo Amusa for forgiving him, stating that without her intervention, he feared his detention could have lasted far longer. His message concludes with a plea to never again experience the dehumanizing conditions of a cell.

This testimony sheds light on the appalling state of pre-trial detention facilities in Nigeria, which are often overcrowded and lacking basic sanitary facilities. Human rights advocates continue to call for reforms and decongestion of Nigerian prisons to uphold the dignity and fundamental rights of all detainees.