Man who spent 10 months in prison for resigning via SMS recounts experience

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Photographer Peter Nicholas, who was sentenced to ten months in jail after texting his boss his letter of resignation, has disclosed that he did not bath for over three months while imprisoned.

In an interview with PUNCH, Nicholas, a 26-year-old mass communication graduate from Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, described how he got a job at a photographic studio owned by businessman Mike Oluwole in Abuja and eventually found himself at Keffi Correctional Centre after texting his resignation.

“There was a time I went to his office (former boss) to sell a camera lens owned by a friend. That day, he mentioned that he needed a good photographer and photo editor, and I presented myself. He took me through a series of photography tests and loved the outcomes. He offered me the job, although without an official letter.

“He put me on probation for six months and started paying me N70,000 monthly, with the promise of a raise once I was confirmed. I only stayed less than three months at the firm before I tendered my resignation.

“I got a better offer elsewhere and informed him, but he expressed displeasure because he wanted me to work and train others, especially as I had the editing skills required for the job. He wasn’t happy about my short notice. I had to leave because what he was paying me wasn’t enough. When I wasn’t working for him, my freelance jobs were sufficient to secure an apartment and feed myself.”

Nicholas acknowledged that his decision to resign via text message was a mistake, but he maintained that he wasn’t the first person to do so because his previous employer hadn’t provided anyone with one, and that he didn’t feel the need to compose a resignation letter.

“The message I sent on 10 October 2023 stated that I was no longer interested in working with him. To further explain my reason for resigning, I sent another text on October 14, advising him to learn leadership and management skills because of how he humiliated a colleague who collected N125,000 from a client into his personal account since the customer couldn’t pay into the company’s account.

“The colleague was arrested, molested by the police, and eventually taken to their station despite reimbursing the company. After that, I lost interest in working at his studio. No staff member had ever stayed there for more than three months, though the customers weren’t aware. On October 15, he had me arrested for insulting him.”

He continued by telling the story of his dreadful experience in prison.

“Terrible! Absolutely terrible! My first three months were hell until I met a chaplain who later helped me because I always played the keyboard in the prison’s church. He grew fond of me. Initially, I was kept in isolation for newcomers for two weeks before being placed in a cell with 109 other inmates.

“I slept on the floor and didn’t bathe for more than three months because I had no money to buy a bucket of water. The water was sold by inmates who were fortunate enough to go outside.

“I also survived on prison rations. To top it all, I was in a cell with hardened criminals—robbers, kidnappers, murderers, innocent inmates awaiting justice, and those without records. There was no segregation whatsoever.”

He claimed that because of his mother’s underlying medical issues, he kept it a secret from both his parents and his siblings.

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