From grass to grace. Shehu Sani may not be a household name in Nigeria but those who know his relevance to the society know that what he has passed through to get where he is and how much he has contributed to the society. He was a leading figure in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
The former Boko Haram negotiator and hardcore human rights activist looked dapper during his inauguration into the 8th National Assembly senate few days back.
But the road to his glory had not been all rosy....he was arrested by former Head of State, Ibrahim Babaginda in 1993 for protesting against the June annulment elections of M.K.O Abiola in 1993. He was later released and rearrested again by former interim president, Earnest Shonekan for holding a pro-democracy rally. He was charged to court for Sedition and unlawful assembly. He was later granted bail.
Then ex-president Sani Abacha took over government. Senator Shehu Sani organized a mass protest against his government which made the military leader arrest him again -as he was taken to a Military Tribunal and sentenced to Life in prison for Treason. Sani and former president Olusegun Obasanjo even shared a cell together during the latter's prison sentence. He was released from life imprisonment when democracy was restored in Nigeria in 1999.
.