Intimidated By Nigerian Police!

I left home in a very good mood..hopes of catching up with new findings on the web when I log in to my computer in the office, was dominant in my mind. I was to make a quick purchase of pins to top up our inventory on our website www.prepaidnigeria.com and this prevented me from going straight to the office.

Between the hours of 9am and 10am, Friday, the 6th of January 2006, walking freely around Ogba, Ikeja; a commercial bus containing some policemen stopped abruptly. The men jumped out and sorrounded me and two other colleagues with whom I have priced an Electric Generator set prior to the confrontation.

'Hey guys, we are men of the police force', challenged the youngest guy among the team, brandishing his ID card. Others joined, all with their poorly designed Identity card. We were asked to enter the bus. 'For what?' I challenged immediately. The only female member of the team was the last to disembark from the bus and made straight for my USB drive hung on my neck.

"Give me this thing now!", raged the woman(she didnt know the name) and was pulling the device on my neck. I was perplexed and almost could not utter a word. "What is the meaning of all this?" was all I kept asking. My colleagues put up resistance as none of knew exactly what was wrong or what their mission was. I was kicked, dragged and my colleagues could not stand the harassment. For challenging the police, they were taken in, too. I refused to let go of my USB drive. The woman said she would have to access the device and see what kind of information it carried.

Before I could shout EFCC, I was dragged to the bus, the youngest guy, so full of himself and infact an upcoming devil of the police force, pinned me to the bus floor. I wore a cream coloured brocade to commemorat the friday, looking forward to a nice appearance at the mosque later that day for the Jumu'at(friday) service. My trousers tore, the guy having a firm grip on my neck and I dashed for his too. We kept dragging while the bus moved and fortunately, in an attempt to free myself from his grip, the bus side screen was shattered and a piece of the broken glass tore through the neck of their colleague. This saved me from getting strangled.

We approached the 'Area G' police station, their Evil Den. "Confirmed Armed Robbers', the guy momoured. I kept assuring them that they won't go free. As soon as we stepped out of the bus, they instructed us to go into a room beside the regular counter room. I refused to move. I spoke at the top of my voice. "Who are we to see? I will not move an inch from this spot!" I screamed. This attracted the attention of other policemen and a woman requested to know what was wrong. I gave her my story and also warned that as I spoke, my USB drive was with the police that should anything go wrong with my inventory, they would be sorry. I bradished my MTN dealership ID card and also my official ID card. The woman asked if they ever demended for my identity and I replied in the negative.

At this point, the guys were scared, they said should I have revealed my identity and also released my USB, there won't have been all the trouble. They never requested my identity and they never let me speak. Sidetalks and momours and shorlty after, my flash drive was released, the arbiter disappeared and I was asked to pay for the broken screen.

All the while, I wasn't opportuned to go close to the main building, a clear indication of corrupt and illegal practise. I wrote a statement on a shabby looking paper, part with N4,000 for the screen and the same guys drove me and my colleagues out of the station to the very spot they arrested me, while looking out for my lost shoe. I looked hargard and dirty. I kept cursing and threating, they tried to be friendly but I didn't mind. As soon as we dropped out of their bus, they continued their hunt for other victims!

This is the scenario in many part of Lagos in recent time. Innocent Nigerians are victimised daily simply because they remain coward even at the point of death. Nigeria police, I admit, are the most dangerous criminals around town now. Everyone should be conscious of his movement and most importantly, learn to defend his right, no matter what.

I had a bad day!

I am so sorry about this incident, kbstar. I hope the new inspector general of the police is aware that things like this are happening.

Kbstar sorry jare my brother. Thats exactly what people face in Nigeria at the hands of some incompetent corrupt fools.

What is wrong with these people?  When will they ever change.  It just makes my heart to bleed reading Kbstar's ecounter

somedays these dudes will molest someone who will come back for them....

@ kbstar...im very sorry this have happened to u
a normal working guy like urself in a happy friday mood goin about his business this is really appalling!!
I must commend ur courage..letting them know ur not just gonna take it from these state dictators!..ur a try STAR ( Nairaland Hero)

If police officers can harrass and extort money from people who's gonna protect us from area boys n co

I dey feel you... my cousin na police too and him dey harras people well.. I mean well.. but only if you are unfortunate not to have a reciept or cannot tell de difference between fake and original drivers license.. but wetin we go do.
He is also a very good Juju man.. seriously.. one of the best.. Ranked no 8 in Lagos zone.. na auchi man.. no try im jazz..

If you ever need to deal with a brash policeman.. try and tear part of im cloth and get his real name or father's name

den we go talk for this lovely forum how to deal with him. otherwise just pray before you go out everyday..

sorry oh..

mneanwhile try to be pally with some top shot DPO or SSS of EFCC man.. buy dem drinks or give dem gifts for sallah Easter or chritmas.. wen u enter kasala. just hala dem for ur gsm and you will be off dey hook

If u want action taken, write to the current inspector general...if u prefer to do it in a more effective way, write to one of the local newspapers. This is the type of article they will put in the news against the current nigerian police....

Thank you all for your concern! I will rather forget about the issue for now as I already had enough trouble.

If fellow Nigerians could watch me being molested without uttering a word, then we have a long way to go. I had a similar experience last November along Allen Avenue area of Lagos. You won't believe that not even a single person among the crowd could say anything. Although I wasn't taken in their bus that day, but to my disgust, as soon as I was let go, people started talking, "oh boy, if to say you no open mouth, dey go don carry u go oh!" Imagine a campaign after election.

I don't go out without asking for God's protection because I know there are scavengers out there in black dressing, one thing I will never do is beg or submit to a policeman for no offence. If all Nigerian adopt same principle, the harrassment will be minimsed, at least.

So sorry for what happened to you. Unfortunately, this is such a a common incident especially in Lagos...

I was arrested last year when my company sent me on assignment to Lagos because I had a laptop. This was not up to a kilometre from the airport. I blamed myself because I had taken a bike instead of a cab all in a bid not to get tied up in the hold up. I had forgotten what Lagos was like. The only thing that saved me was T9. We were on the way to Area F when I sent a text to an uncle of mine who came down immediately and threatened to close the police station and fire all of them!

I am currently on leave from work, and since my girlfriend works in Lagos, I felt that it would be a nice surprise that I go to visit her. I drove down on Wednesday and picked her from work (she works in VI). After we finished from the cinema, I was taking her home to Ikoyi and decided to go thru the fastest way that I know, Obalende. Do you know that some policemen had blocked off the access road just in front of King's College? I stopped living in Lagos 2 years ago when I got my current job in Abuja, but I felt that my knowledge of Lagos roads was still sharp. Unfortunately, in my bid to get my girl home on time, we got arrested for driving on an 'illegal' road! After the usual parting of money, they let us go. The next day before leaving Lagos, I drove past that place just to see how far, to my utter shock, the road block was gone!

What rubbish is that?

I have learnt to become weary of the Nigerian Police FORCE...in fact they are LEGAL Armed Robbers, and I wonder sometimes, why we still put with those thugs in uniform.

they are the least literate set/bunch of Nigerians, Honestly, I am looking forward to starting a movement against police brutality..I hope people will join me when I am ready finally, I will start off on a website, we need to move against these people, as if they are the only one that Nigeria is hard for.

anyway, before i pour out my venom on this forum, let me hang a bit, but truly, if u are interested, we need to start sending out articles and feelers so we can orientate our people and alert even the police top shots that we won't take this any longer

pssst.......

Since the day i was molested by one of those illitrates, i never feel for any of them that die in any horrible manner.

More of them will still continue to die if they don't stop inhuman treatment of Nigerians. Karma is a strong thing.

Sorry about that kbstar. I have never been molested by anyone of them and don't pray to be. It pains me to see or hear people being maltreated by those who ought to protect them.

God help us oooooo.

Until Nigerians get the right to sue these people(police) like it's been done in the US.

IF they get 2 serious class suit actions the [i]oga patapata [/i]will know how to call their officers into order.

kbstar. So sorry about your encounter. Its really sad. These are people who are supposed to protect us. Policemen in Lagos are so wicked and indisciplined. May God deliver us from police wahala, Honestly. My sister-in-law's brother in-law was arrested the other day for using a toilet in tantalizers. He was pressed and had to stop take a shitter and while washing his hands, they pounced and arrested. Apparently, they were trying to catch some kidnappers who had demanded ransome and were supposed to pick the money up from tantalizers toilet. So unfortunately for him, he got to TZ and since he headed straight for the toilet, they arrerted him. There were two of them and they both wrote conflicting statements, one said he had picked up the money while they other said he was washing his hands they they arrested him. It was a long horrible case and at the end of the day, He had to settle.
Its really pathetic.

kbstar:

Thank you all for your concern! I will rather forget about the issue for now as I already had enough trouble.
<snip>

I'm sorry but this is not the right approach, so what happens when it happens again ? if you're not prepared to take action yourself, are you prepared to allow others take action on your behalf ?

Contact the Nigerian police through their website http://www.nigeriapolice.org
Contact HRW http://hrw.org/contact.html
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/07/26/nigeri11451.htm

Contact National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria
http://www.nigeriarights.gov.ng/
http://www.nigeriarights.gov.ng/complaint.php

Ijebuman, will you suggest I post same naration I have here to the provided websites or formal report? Please advise me cos many have asked me to push the case.

kbstar:

Ijebuman, will you suggest I post same naration I have here to the provided websites or formal report? Please advise me because many have asked me to push the case.

A formal report will be good. If you also need legal advice or representation i can put you in touch with my Aunt in Lagos.

I was in Nigeria(Lagos) on holiday Feb last year with my cousin and a couple of other friends.....anyways, whilst out one night, we got stopped by the police(who we initially thought were armed robbers). Upon stopping us, the police officer ordered all of us 4 girls out of the car..........we obliged cos we thought it would be best. Next thing, he orders us to open our bags because apparently they had just gotten a report that 4 girls that matched our description had come to rob at a near-by shop.............hahahahahahahahaha how ridiculous was that? My cousin was so angry that she started shouting at the police officer demanding whether the tiny handbags(pouches) looked big enough for us to have put the stolen money in? I was just so shocked and amazed that i stood there laughing...........My two friends ignored them and got back in the car while my cousin just kept shouting at them, telling them to P**s off!, the officers must have been shocked by her reaction cos they just told us to go away with our wahala.....................

Another time i was in the car on my way to festac, the car gets stopped by two female and one one male police officer.......one of the female officers took it upon herself to question the driver, asking all sorts of foolish questions from: driving license, seat belt to fire extinguisher............hello people i didn't know drivers in nigeria were required to have fire extinguishers in their cars.........anyways when the driver told her he didn't have one, she jumps in the passenger seat and orders the driver to drive to the police station. The driver looks at me and i replied " yeah thats fine, lets go".... about five mins away, the officer orders the driver to stop the car, she turns to me and starts begging for money!!!!!!!people i was surprised cos i didn't know the police could be that blantant in begging for money. Anyways i decided to play hard, i told her " you know what, i think i probably know the officer you want to take us to see, so i would like to see him again cos its been a long time i saw him" she just kept saying " there is no need madam, lets just settle it here". At the end i ended up giving her just 200 naira, which she showed great appreciation for.................

To top it up, when i was on my way back to london, at the airport the custom officers told me not to bother opening my suitcase, they said i should just slip some money in the middle of my passport..................WoW!!!!!!!!! what is our great country turning into?

I love Nigeria to bits, but i get worried coming over cos of those criminals called "Police Officers"!!!!!

@ Kbstar

Sorry for your encounter, but i must say that these animals do it to thousands everyday without being accountable.

@Omon

The only way that these MF's will stop if the Nigerian citizenry is Armed,Locked and Loaded and this nonsense of leaving in fear will end. Trust me, a bunch of people will die initially after the law is passed. But in the long run things will level out and people will not be harrassed and have thier human and civil rights violated by these untrained,corrupt,illiterate, imbeciles. I will love to point a nice Smith and Wesson @ one of these MF's head and see our roles reversed.

@Ijebuman
I am sure you mean well by hooking KB with all that info and possible legal representation, but we all know it is a waste of time. Badges are fake,no accountability, and we should thank God he is alive to tell us this story. But please i think KbStar's prayer to his God is his best line of Defense or you should try and give the hook up to buy "Heat".

Kokscity!!

stories like this just makes my heart bleed...I'm one Nigerian living in the USA with a love for the revitalization of the Nigerian factor I mean at all facets. Nigerian police is a mess, believe me. You even fear them more than robbers. My experience was back in 2002 I was driving to MMIA to catch a flight to Frankfurt when I was stopped by the police...I was like yes..wetin happen". he started his nonsense and then one of them coming from Behind looked and saw an NBA sticker...he was like ha! oga gani...carry go" so they only got scared cos they saw The Nigerian Bar Association sticker. What I want to draw from this is that, they would fear your access to information...knowing your rights..do not offer money people! and should u be a passerby...go over and ask whats going on here.....someone is got to challange the status quo.... I'm coming to Nigeria this year again and I look forward to nothing to a police man stoping me to talk nonsense. same reason why I'm gonna be sure my license is good to go and be abreast with lagos state motor vehicle regulation laws.So together we can do something...hey, legal remedies are a way to go, so please do go ahead with that.We can't altogether give up on nigerian legal system.We'll get there.

Men pete, am really impressed with your attitude. We need more people like you in Naija, especially this lagos. Alot of people are too scared to challenge to the police in Nigeria. They get scared of the out-dated guns(with good reason though ) the police carry and they just pay. And do make sure you have all your papers when you come including your radio permit or something like that. When they stopped my father-in-law last year and couldnt find anything to nail him with, they charged him for not having a permit or something for his car radio. IMAGINE! He had to pay them 5 grand but they where all begging by the time my mother-in-law, a lawyer and former S.G here in Nigeria came and nearly brought down the place. Like you said, we really need to be aware of our rights.

"There is no place they don't gather chickens at dawn". I have witnessed police brutality in London and Texas. So Everybody knows that out of every twelve there must be a Judas. I am not a Solicitor for the men in Black (even imagine you gave them black uniform and you don't expect some of them to behave like "black nija".
Victims of Police brutality should report to the nearest Police Public Relations officer, can send a mail to the Force Public Relations office, or even submit some to their forum, www.nigeriapolice.org/forum . I have tried it and it worked.

the nigerian police are a nightmare.
i was on holiday in naija some years ago,and i went to see an old friend of mine who lives past is it called mile 2?anyway i got my driver to drop me off.with the instructions that he should come pick me up later.but till today i doont know where my dad got that driver from(mr.musiliu),HE CANT GO ANYWHERE ON HIS OWN,and if he drops you off somewhere,better make alternate arrangements to get back just in case he misses his way.anyhoo..he couldnt find his way back...and na lie..with all the phonecall to describe to him..he was getting even more confused.so my friend decided that i would have to take a public transport to get out of her area,i assumed it was a cab,but it was a danfo..(the mini buses),i mean i couldnt say no,she insisted on paying and thats what she could afford.the plan was...a danfo would take us to outside her area,and then when we get to the main mile 2,i would tell my driver to come and pick me up.
the beggining of my nightmare,as we got into the bus,i was hearing people saying..ahh..mammywater(im very very light),chinko(i look asian etc)..i was just like oh damn this isnt good..but i didnt wanna embarass my friend..but i kept quiet,as we got to the main place a number of us disembarked from the bus,and i guess some were waiting for another bus or cab or like me,my ride.
out of nowhere some policemen arrived and said we were gonna be arrested for TRESSPASSING AND LOITERING??
...thats how the mopol started saying trash like YES..WE HAVE CAUGHT YOU TODAY..ASHAWOS AND ARMED ROBBERS??.i stepped out of line(YESS..WE HAD BEEN LINED UP LIKE CRIMINALS)..and i tried talking to one of the officers...he just looked at me and started saying yess mammywater don come o...U TINK YOU CAN SHINE YOUR ASHAWO EYES AT ME?I WILL GET MY BOYS TO FINISH YOU...THEY WILL SEARSH YOU..AND THEY WILL SEARSH EFRYWHERE...INCLUDING YOUR..(WAIT FOR THIS GUYS,,,,)TOTO!!!!
i was like WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PIMPDADDY CHATTING ABOUT?i got a degree in law so i started quoting my rights....( AT THIS STAGE I WAS STILL BLOWING ENGLISH)..the men just looked at me like..KAI THIS OYINBO KNOWS NOTING..after what seemd like hours...and with everyone begging,i tried again...this time i spoke in yoruba to one i thought would understand...NA LIE...it was as if..they had a mission that night....anyhoo..it all got too much...i decided to call my dad....THAT WAS WHEN HELL BROKE LOOSE..the ringleader came snatched my phone and SLAPPED ME...BAD MOVE...I TRIED SLAPPING HIM..WORSE MOVE...thats how i was singled out with my friend and a few random people who they said looked LIKE MY GANG MEMBERS,well we were taken to the station...)at this stage my phone was going off cus my dad was trying to get me....but the bloody man..just broke my phone..i didnt say nuthing i was crying at this stage....THEY SPOKE EVERY TRASH IN THE BOOK..chinko will fight karate for us today..etc....it was almost funny..but not quite....at the station....we were harassed etc...and thats when i stated the habeas corpus,(at least everyones entitled to that)IN NAIJA ITS VERY DIFFERENT I LEARNT.. i heard detention etc..i said what?im allowed one phonecall AT LEAST....i started screaming and causing a fuss....the oga came...heard what happened...when he heard my name..he told the police man(TIE TI BAJE LENI))MEANING YOUR LIFE IS TOTALLY EFFED FROM TODAY)...he tried to settle and explain..i said NO WAY...i called my dad from the ogas phone,my dad called an ex- oga pata pata in the whole military,and the guy sent his orderly and some mopol guys,and they came to the station....lets just say all the men where rounded up after been dealt with SEVERELY i have NEVER in my life seen men beaten up so bad, THEY WERE BEATEN WITH GUNS,CLUBS,EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE.MADE TO APOLIGISE TO EVERYONE,they were taken away to a guardroom?i think thats what its called.from what i heard,they were posted to some outback village somewhere in the north afterwards.
and i just wondered to myself.....what if this had happened to someone who didnt know anyone

You are so right, what if it happens to a person that doesn't know anyone? Nigerian police i have to say are one of the worst in the world if not the worst. The way they go about harrassing innocent people is so un-called for and really its about time something is done to stop them. Going to Naija soon, and I'm so ready for all those criminals called "Police Officers".

It's nice to read about peoples encounters with nigerian Police, its even nicer hearing how people stand up to them, those guys are theiving bastards.


You guys are lucky not to have been shot at by those idiots during those encounters, I had two occasions when the those idiots could have taken my life, these happened in the 80's, the first one happened somewhere around Ikoyi we got stopped at a road block manned by a couple of policemen, I don't remember what transpired but I remember flaring up because the policeman was being stupid, suddely he corked his gun and fired on shot in my direction at close range fortunately the nozzle was pointing downwards at an angle so all I got was bit of loose gravel which was disturbed by the bullet, I suspect he was expecting us to run away when he started coking the gun so he could have a excuse to murder us, the idiot also reeked of alcohol.


On the second occasion we were near MMIA on the road leading to the domestic airport when we got stopped at a road block, again silly questions were being asked and I flared up, next thing I know guns were cocked ,it took the intervention by my Dad and someone else to ease the situation they just asked us to go.

Other than those two occasions I have never had to deal with Nigerian Policemen because Soja no get bizness with police, just flash your ID card or have your NA sticker on your car and they dare not dream of bothering you.

I hear that these days they don't have bullets so that may explain why the incidents of accidental discharge are a thing of the past.

people making judgments already. remember there is two side to every story. IF you feel you were insulted there are was to get this police officers repremanded. you can take action by going to the cp office or contact the provost mershall of the police in Lagos or police service commision, all you need is a bad number of one of the police officers