“The prison warden in Uganda jail was my fan so he helped us” – Omah Lay recounts ordeal

Famous Afropop musician Stanley Omah Didia, often known as Omah Lay, has recounted his ordeal in Uganda jail four years ago.

Omah Lay and Tems were invited to a performance in Uganda in 2020; however, they were detained and charged after their performance.

The Ugandan authorities stated that both Nigerian artists broke COVID-19 social rules and laws that were in place at the time.

Omah Lay disclosed how a prison warden who happened to be a fan cared for them, and how it was a fantastic experience for him, even though “it looked rough” at the time.

In an interview with The Beat FM, London, the ‘Damn’ hitmaker stated he spent two days in prison and there was a point they wanted to shave his hair and the warden prevented this from happening.

Omah Lay believes that his negative experience in Uganda was necessary for him to progress musically.

He said; “My ordeal in Ugandan prison was an amazing time for me. Although it was rough at the moment now looking back at the whole thing, it had to happen. It gave me the relationship I have with Tems and her manager, Muyiwa [Awoniyi] today. He [Muyiwa] was in the same cell with me

“We were in Uganda for a show during the pandemic. We had paperwork to perform but for some reason, we got arrested after performing. And we are sent to jail. We were in jail for two days.

“It was just a very horrible experience. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that. They were going to cut my hair, I wore a prison uniform. They were so close to cutting my hair but the person who was in charge of the prison was a fan of my music. He got us a nice spot in jail and took care of us.”