Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, who is also known as Tems, has shared her experience of being imprisoned in Uganda.

Tems and Omah Lay were detained after attending a concert at Speke Resort, Kampala,

on December 12th, despite Covid-19 guidelines.

In a recent interview with Angie Martinez of Power 105.1 FM, New York, Tems asserted that they did not violate any COVID-19 regulations and believed the whole situation was a trap.

She added that she had prepared herself to be in jail for a long time and stressed her ability to adapt quickly.

Tems said, “We didn’t break the [COVID-19] rules. It was basically like a set up. We went to Uganda, I had a show there. It was during COVID year but they had opened things up that time. They had just had a rally in Uganda. People were going out. It wasn’t on lockdown. It was the aftermath.

“And the organisers said they had the permit, they sent us the permit. Everything was cool. And went there and there is this particular artist, I’m not sure now what his role was but he was just busy threatening Nigerian artists that they shouldn’t come. And after the show, the police came. They weren’t in uniforms. They just knocked on my hotel room. My manager and I were eating lunch or dinner. And they just came and said we should follow them and my manager was like he would go with them.

“So, he went with them. But they came back upstairs to pick me up. So, it was like who called them? Later, I found out that there was some weird… That was so scary. I spent two nights in prison. I thought I wasn’t gonna come out. I thought maybe I was going through it for a reason. I was like maybe this is for me to help the people in prison. It was crazy, I ain’t gonna lie. I was settling in because I adapt real quick.”