A Diabetes Specialist Practitioner with the NHS in England, Mrs. Margaret Idaewor, has offered a gripping account of the trials faced by Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Director General of the National Institute of Sports, during his years as a student activist and President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Speaking during a recent event in honor of Shaibu, Mrs. Idaewor narrated how his activism often put him at odds with security forces during the military regime, particularly under General Sani Abacha.

Recalling those turbulent days at the University of Jos, she said:

“And I could be in my lecture room, they would tell me, ‘Margaret, the police have come to pick Philip.’ They’d ask me, going around Jos, ‘police station looking for Philip.’ The highlight was, I think 1997, during the Abacha era, I was in school, and they came to tell me that they’ve come to pick Philip.”

Her voice laden with emotion, she continued:

“To where? I said, ‘I don’t know.’ They picked Philip and they picked Professor Alubo. Two of them were in jail, and I went there and somebody told me that if Philip is not very careful, Philip will be dead.

“I said, ‘How?’ He said, ‘there are plans to move Philip to Abakaliki.’ I think that was when General Yar’adua was there as well. So I said, ‘What will I do?’ Somebody gave me a number, ‘I said go to Abuja, look for this commissioner of police, see if you can get him, he will help you.’”

Driven by fear and concern for her younger brother’s life, she said she had to travel to Abuja.

“So I came to Abuja, my course student, I was feeding money, came to Abuja, was in this commissioner of police office, didn’t know what to do, because I knew immediately Philip was going to be moved to Abakaliki, and that would be the end of my brother. So I was in the man’s office, and suddenly he ran out. I said, ‘What’s happening?’ He said, ‘Your guy is going to somewhere, where? If Abacha lived a day longer, Philip would not be here today.’”

Reflecting further on their bond, she said:

“Philip is my younger brother, and I look at Philip sometimes with a lot of fright. We were both at UniJos, and that was where Philip was, well, he was a radical.

“And the other thing was, our junior brother is one of them. And as always, you are loved. Not just by me, you are loved by a lot of people.

“Because you finished your work today, you are supposed to be with your family, but they are here to celebrate you. Heaven will celebrate you, just like the world is celebrating you.”

Shaibu, who has gone on to serve in various public roles, is widely acknowledged for his fearless commitment to student welfare and human rights during one of Nigeria’s darkest political eras.