I was in jail for two days, they wanted to cut my hair – Omah Lay recounts prison experience in Uganda

• Nigerian singer Omah Lay recounts his ordeal in Ugandan prison for performing at a concert despite COVID-19 regulations, stating it was an “amazing time” for him.

Famous Nigerian singer Stanley Omah Didia (Omah Lay) revealed his Ugandan prison experience.

In Uganda, Omah Lay and Tems were arrested, charged, and imprisoned for attending a performance at Speke Resort in Kampala on December 12, 2020, against COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. They left jail the next day.

In a recent interview with London’s The Beat FM, Omah Lay called the incident a “amazing time” even though “it looked rough” then.

His struggle in Uganda was necessary for him to advance musically, he said.

Omah Lay 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.”