Nigeria’s boxing champion, Bash Ali has been detained in Kuje prison over row with Nigerian Export – Import Bank (NEXIM). He was arrested last week thursday for allegedly disturbing the peace of the bank and threatening to blow up it’s premises.
According to reports, he walked into the bank with 3 other men to query its manager on why the bank has refused to pay the money allocated to the hosting of the Guinness Book of World Record fight project even after getting a directive from the President.
The police arrived the scene, arrested them and charged them for causing nuisance and trespassing. Ali, while in prison revealed that the reason why the bank has not been interested in the case was because he declined the 10% bribe they asked for. “Now they are trying to silent me because I have decided to speak out and take action,” he stated.
He also denied threatening to blow up the NEXIM office, “I never said I will bomb their office. If any institution owned by government disobeys the order of Mr. President because of corruption, that institution should be closed down. That is what I said.”
He narrated his ordeal to Daily Times via a text message:
“The labour of our heroes shall not be in vain. I have been in Kuje Prison since Thursday without food and with tough criminals because I said ‘No’ to corruption at a Bank. My court case is March 5. A revolution has started. Champ Bash Ali, OON.”
“The Executive Director, Customer Services, of the bank invited me on Wednesday, but to my shock, he was not there, so he told me to wait.
“While waiting, the Managing Director of the Bank, came and ordered the security to beat us. The head of one of the LOC members of Bash Ali Guinness Book of World Records fight, was broken. It was from there we were taken to SARS and detained and now I’m at Kuje Prison.”