Tems on Hunger Strike in Uganda’s Prison
Popular singer, Temilade Openiyi otherwise known as Tems, has embarked on a hunger strike in Uganda’s prison.
The talented vocalist who was arrested alongside afro-fusion singer, Omah Lay, said she is not going to take any food until she regains her freedom from the Ugandan authority.
Revealing that she’s scared of being poisoned, hence her refusal to eat, Tems said: “I don’t want to eat unless you strap me to a chair and force food down my throat.”
“I haven’t eaten in the past 24 hours, and I’m not eating for the next 48,” she added.
Eelive.ng had reported that Tems and Omah Lay were arraigned in court on Monday, December 14, 2020, after being arrested for flouting COVID-19 guidelines in Uganda.
Having been arrested and charged to court, the music stars now risk a jail sentence of seven years, as enshrined in the Section 171 of the Uganda Penal Code.
“Any person who unlawfully or negligently does any act which is and which
he or she knows or has reason to believe to be likely to spread the infection
of any disease dangerous to life commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment of seven years,” the penal code partly read.
Meanwhile, following a public outcry that trailed the singer’s arrest, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Diaspora Commission, assured members of the public that Omah Lay and Tems would soon regain their freedom.
