Just watched video of Gov Wike's rescue of Joy Nunieh from armed policemen who falsely imprisoned her at her PH home this morning. Reminds me of another great rescue...

That time through the people's power.
Dateline:June 1993. June 12 poll had just been annulled. The crackdown on pro-democracy activists had begun.

A detachment of SSS stormed the Law School, Lagos. Lectures were on. How do they snatch Mahmud without anyone knowing. A plan was hatched. Get Ibironke, late DG Law School, to summon him to his office

I had been tipped of impending plans to snatch me and Uche Onyeagocha, immediate past SSG Imo State. I activated by personal security plan. Never somewhere without someone watching over me. I was duly summoned...

And I was immediately placed under arrest under the nose of the late DG Ibironke by Marilyn and Shehu - the latter I knew from another encounter two years previously. A nasty soul!

I allowed my head to do the thinking as they interrogated me. The Bar Final Exams were only 4 weeks away. If taken away, my dream of becoming a lawyer would be gone. It took 3 expulsions from the varsity to get to the law school. My head thought fast... then,

They made an error. I cashed on the error. They wanted the speech I delivered at the All African Students Conference in Ghana three weeks previously. In that speech I called for a continent-wide revolution

I told them the speech was in my bag in the lecture room. I lied. They wanted the text of the speech desperately. So, took me out handcuffed to fetch the text. Another error.

I told them they wouldn't contain the violence that would ensue if I was seen by students handcuffed. They took the cuff off. We strolled into the lecture room and I announced to the lecture hall of over 1k students that SSS had come to arrest me. Bedlam.

Following 5 hours standoff, I was eventually escorted by students to the hostel. The SSS retreated, only to reinforce. They bade time and waited for night to fall, so they could storm the hostel.

We were veterans of the game. That year, law school had more students leaders than anytime in its history. It was now a game of strategy. How do I get out unharmed before the SSS zero hour?

We devise a plan. Get an expensive stationed somewhere close to the back gate of Ozumba Mbadiwe end. Get guys and girls dressed for partying that night!

My network of comrades and friends went to work. Sam who later became Chairman NERC was detailed to get the car. A Benz was found. Hilary, now a FHC Judge, Greg, Stock Broker, and Bright, a Judge in Edo took charge of the partying guys and girls

Fatima and her friend, who is today the wife of a northern governor, Wendy, and my late girl friend, Ntee Nwankuche (bless her soul) took charge of me

I was dressed as a lady and walked out of the hostel in company of the guys and girls going for a non-existent party. I walked past armed SSS personnel detailed to arrest me- dead or alive

It was a GREAT escape and rescue, designed and executed by some of the finest activists this country produced. Then, the last hurdle.

Baba at the back gate refused to open the gate. Going through the main gate wasn't in our plan. We would have been busted by the top level SSS security at the gate.

"Dem say armu rubba dey hia wey dem wan arrest. Dem say mek I nor open; I nor go open". Baba said. We were running out of time. My getaway car pulled over, waiting. Then, the driver came down and walked to the gate. We were watching from inside

The driver was late Sylvester Azeta, AKA Sly Dumba. He told Baba he wanted to see his babe and gave N50. "Wia am?" Baba asked. "Naim be dat", pointing at us. Baba opened the gate and we walked out, squeezed ourselves into the Benz and drove into the night...

Good afternoon from outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine