25-Year-Old Wrongfully Detained Man Develops Stroke (Video)

A wave of public outrage has followed the heartbreaking story of a 25-year-old Nigerian man, simply identified as Martins, who reportedly developed a stroke while being wrongfully detained for eight months over an unproven allegation of phone theft.

The story, shared on X (formerly Twitter) by human rights advocate Kanayo Olisa-Metuh, has drawn widespread condemnation after it was revealed that Martins was imprisoned without any evidence linking him to the alleged crime. Despite several investigations that yielded no proof, he remained behind bars for months, during which he reportedly received no medical attention—even after suffering a stroke.

“This one shattered me,” Olisa-Metuh wrote. “How does a vibrant 25-year-old walk into a custodial center and end up with a stroke—without ever being taken to a hospital? A person in custody is a ward of the state. That stroke, untreated and ignored, is nothing short of torture behind bars.”

He further criticized the neglect of non-custodial sentencing options, as stipulated in Section 37 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019—a provision that is rarely enforced.

“We’ve raised our voices over and over about the need to implement non-custodial measures, but that section remains largely decorative—existing only on paper,” he lamented.

Olisa-Metuh added that Martins should never have spent a single day in detention. “He was accused of stealing a phone. The phone was never found. There was no evidence. Yet he spent eight months behind bars and came out partially paralyzed.”

He concluded by demanding justice and compensation for the young man: “He deserves justice. He deserves compensation. And we will fight until he gets it. #justiceformartins.”

Watch the video below;

As the harrowing account circulated online, Nigerians took to the comments section to express their anger and disappointment over the country’s justice system, particularly the plight of thousands of indigent citizens who suffer similar fates without legal representation or public attention.

Read some netizens’ reactions below:

@OgunladeMi46997: “that custodial centre should be thoroughly investigated. How do a 25 years old guy develop stroke all of a sudden.”

@ctsar_ct: “Nothing works in Nigeria. No country can function without a functional Judiciary. You go to court and the judge just hastily ask you the useless question they have at hand “guilty or not guilty” You say not guilty, you are remanded and the judge will never show up. It’s crazy.”

@cynthia_tuaka: “This is very bad. Why didn’t the person who accused him pursue the case?. Arresting someone and dumping them behind bars without pursuing the case any further is nothing but sheer wickedness. He deserves justice and adequate compensation.”

@Odion07_: “Naija police, evidence and investigation na three sides of a coin.”

@joshj3344: “People just keep being victims every day without due investment and proper treatment. Nawaoo.”
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