Grammy-winning artist Burna Boy has reportedly donated $100,000 to address medical debts and the incarceration of low-income individuals in Nigeria. The announcement was made by social activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, on December 26, 2025.
The donation is split into two equal parts: $50,000 to settle overdue bills for indigent patients at public hospitals and $50,000 to pay fines for inmates held in correctional facilities.
Footage released on social media shows a hooded figure, identified as Burna Boy, visiting the Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre in Lagos alongside VeryDarkMan. The duo met with prison officials to identify inmates held for minor offenses with fines as low as ₦30,000.
The funds target inmates who have completed their sentences but remain detained solely due to an inability to pay court-imposed fines.
The hospital portion is designated for “detained” patients—those medically cleared for discharge but prevented from leaving public wards because of outstanding costs.
While the video documentation confirms the visit and the start of the process, the Nigerian Correctional Service has yet to release an official tally of the total number of individuals released.
Nigeria’s correctional system faces severe overcrowding, with a significant percentage of the population awaiting trial or held over minor financial penalties. Simultaneously, the public health sector often struggles with “patient detention,” a practice where low-income citizens are held in facilities until family members can raise funds.
Burna Boy has a documented history of localized philanthropy, including previous medical bill interventions at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) and funding for educational initiatives.
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According to Africentra learnt from an inside source, legal representatives and social workers are currently processing the payments. Authorities at the Kirikiri facility are verifying the eligibility of inmates to ensure the funds are applied to non-violent, fine-based cases.
Official statements from the Nigerian Correctional Service and the administrative boards of the beneficiary hospitals are expected by early next week. We will follow the story and watch for a finalized list of facilities that received the medical debt relief.
