I get bored sitting at home on the weekends (who doesn't?). Yesterday, I decided to pay yet anoda visit to a pool parlor in my area of town (Lagos). I had barely spent about 2 hours when plainclothes policemen came in and arrested everyone within the bar.(Their excuse? They got an anonymous tip that "Cult boys" were fighting within the bar and disturbing the peace.) Ok. So I get bundled into a danfo along with 15 other boys to the nearest station amidst threats of lifethreatening injury if i don't comply and we get thrown behind the counter. A couple of the boys i'm with know the 411 and start making calls " Lasisi, E ma bo wa Sabo ,E mowo dani o"(Lasisi, Come to Sabo Station with some money) but idealistic me's still wondering when i'm goingto be offered an explanation on why i was picked up.
After a quasi-interrogation: Who r u? Where d'u work? Show some ID, What happened at the bar tonite? Ok sit on the floor and take off your shoes!!!!! What??: We were left on the floor for about 90 minutes. Then the namecalling began: An officer would come around, call 2 or 3 boys and that would b the last we'll see of them. Eventually I summoned up enuf courage and talk to one of the lowlives; He asks me for 5k before i can b "released". I eventually part with about 2k cos it's like midnite and i had people to do and things to see today, One of them being to have a word with the proprietor of the parlor(a fellow pool enthusiast), demanding an explanation on why a honest respectable citizen like yours truly who's only "sin" that nite was the love of a board game would be subjected to such utter humiliation within his premises. Providence saved me the trip however as just as i was stepping out, along came the proprietor himself. Now i'm thinking, ok this guys's even civil enuf to come stand up for his patrons; so i ease up on the accusations and innocently ask what his take on the whole issue was.
Dude begins to talk and I realize I just made a very serious error of character. He's like the standing agreement between him and the cops in the area is that once they catch a scent (real or imagined) of anything noisy around his parlor, a round up, arrest (and extortion) should follow. IMAGINE!!!!! IMAGINE DE LA PRENIYON!!!!!! I just walk away disappointed in the whole concept of a country we call Nigeria, too tired to begin to explain to him how tonite's event, if frequent enuf could turn his place into a ghost parlor. If Dude don't get it. It's not my business. I can live without pool!!!

Thank your God that you came out alive, many are charged or left in there if no help comes.

May God punish these people for inflicting pain on the innocent and God help Nigeria!

We need people to stand up for their right, even in the face of death. Rule of law is not an abstract concept. Until then,

I am so sick and tired of how ordinary people are treated by our so called police officers.

What happenned to my junior brother. I faxed him an invitation letter and some documents like I do every year for his holiday in UK. while he was at the business centre police came and arrested everyone and they accused him of possessing fake documents even though they saw that we had thesame surname and they also saw the british fax number on the documents. My Brother actually spend the night at the station because they refused him calling anyone as they seized his phone and nobody knew he was arrested because he leaves in campus. To cut the long story short we had to pay N30,000 for an innocent 21 yrs old boys release. For doing absolutely nothing.

This is a curse, MAY GOD PURNISH ALL THOSE COURSING PAIN TO THE INNOCENT PEOPLE (theives, police and corrupt politicians) they will never use that money to do anything good in their lifes, that money will be the curse of their lifes.

The state of law makes me sick in mu beloved country. During my holiday in December I was almost stripped searched, the guy even checked my shoes. They will not stop thieves only innocent young men in nice cars. I was so glad I had no pounds on me.

They should be paid well, stop on-the-counter payment of salaries and be receiving thier salaries in banks like others. Its terrible how aggressive they can be whenever they nab an innocent fellow over what he did not commit. One should just try to avoid them.

This days, no difference between nigerian police and an armed robber.

During my Uni days i was once arrested along with about 10 other girls for going to a party. we left in a convoy of cars to attend a friends birthday party at victoria island and those police men at yaba stopped us and arrrested us (only the girls, they let the guys driving go). Our crime was we were not decently dressed (i.e we were dressed for a party) and we did take permission from the school authority to go to a party.

I cudnt beleieve my earrs when they said asked if we took permission to leave unilag to attend a party. they ended up extorting us big time. some girls were crying and talking about them raping us and no one would believe us. i'm sure the police made up to 20k from all of us that night.

After all the drama, we still went for the party.

In Enugu,about 3 years ago.A group of kids were arrested when coming back from catechism classes

I was once taken to the police station before for some crap reason.I was driving and was stopped by the Police ,they were checking for the usuall vehicle "papers".

I had everything(at least I thought),insurance,driving license,sales receipt,vehicle licence,ECMR,fire extinguisher.He even checked to see my engine number matched.Just when I thought I was free,he shouted "thank God".He said I had failed to sign my ECMR(bear in the mind that the IG publicly announced that we are no longer required to obtain ECMR).i ended up at the station where I paid the  ransom of 500 Naira

There was another incident where my mum reported to the Police that our Mai Guard stole our Sattelite decoders.The Police came and told my mum that her son will be arrested for the mai guard could not have gained access without inside help. ;DNothing came of it,but I just couldn't help laughing when I heard it

Some of the stories of what Nigerians go through in the hands of the Police can be downright humorous and some can be harrowing

naijacutee:

I know. . . It really sucks. Once, I out with my boyfriend and we got pulled over. Why? Because the glass was tinted. We used like =N= 500 to "remove the tint" there and then. You should have seen us 'pricing' like we were buying meat in the market. He said =N= at first but we haggled the price down to =N=500.

Why should he be driving a car with tinted glasses?That is a treasonable offence as far as the Police are concerned

My car in Nigeria was not tinted but because it was all black,a Policeman once told me that I should "sort" him cos it is hard to see inside my vehicle

A nationwide urban legend has long suggested that extortion is the main business the Nigerian Police are into; They merely use the guise of protecting lives and property as a smokescreen to cover the real reason for the existence of the force in the country today. It is said that this is accepted in the highest corridors of police power and daily returns are expected from junior officers sent on checkpoint duty or patrol. Much like boarding house fagging where u get sent by a senior to buy grub without a startup capital and are expected to produce change kwa!

WTF! Those policemen,na only God go punish all of them, amen!

that is so wrong!!
they shd be out there catching the real criminals.

Who will save this country fom those things in black it is well.

...

i have visited nigeria few times, jobs etc. i am not of nigerian origin. i have seen the plight of people in the hands of the police. its is a disgrace. i sincerely hope that the new regime would do something to improve the situation. people in nigeria instead of leaving everything in the hands of god must stand up for their rights and raise their voice.