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Barber Alleges Assault and Extortion by Policemen in Lagos

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Justice Nwafor
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A barber, known as @alilmoonn on Twitter, has come forward with a harrowing tale of alleged assault and extortion at the hands of four policemen in Lagos State. The incident reportedly occurred as the barber was returning from the Federal Registry in the Ikoyi area of the state. The victim claims that the policemen, who had stopped the Uber driver he was traveling with for a routine search, proceeded to subject him to a series of traumatizing events.

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Unfortunate Turn of Events

He took to Twitter to narrate his ordeal, describing how the policemen initially conducted a search of the Uber vehicle but found nothing incriminating. However, the situation quickly escalated when they demanded that the barber exit the vehicle and forced him into their own patrol car. It was at this point that they accused him of being involved in fraudulent activities and threatened to hand him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Expressing his fear and shock, the barber shared, "In my life, I have never been this scared; I was abused today by the Nigerian policemen. They were four men plus the driver. As I was coming back from the Federal Registry at Ikoyi, these men stopped my Uber driver and asked him to open his boot, and he did."

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False Accusations and Extortion

According to the victim's testimony, the policemen relentlessly harassed him, refusing to believe his innocence. They alleged that he possessed an iPhone 14 Pro Max and engaged in fraudulent activities. Despite his repeated pleas and attempts to convince them of his innocence, they seized his phone and demanded a staggering sum of N2 million for his release.

Desperate and terrified, @alilmoonn recounted his ordeal, stating, "I told them that I don't have that amount they're requesting, and I pleaded for them to stop, but they never listened! It's so sad, Nigeria. So, the man checked my UBA balance and found out I didn't have such an amount and he told them to collect N100,000 from me."

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Cry for Justice

The barber, who attached a receipt of the N100,000 transaction to his post, expressed his frustration and anguish at the situation. He lamented the unbearable circumstances faced by ordinary citizens in Nigeria and pleaded for the return of his hard-earned money. Unfortunately, he was unable to capture photographs of the policemen due to the confiscation of his phones.

Following the victim's outcry on social media, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, assured him of their commitment to addressing the issue. Hundeyin urged @alilmoonn to follow up with the advice provided by the Area Commander and promised that the police force would not tolerate such misconduct.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, also responded to the post, assuring the victim that the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State was aware of the incident and that appropriate actions would be taken.

HumanRights EndImpunity AccountabilityMatters ReformTheForce SayNoToCorruption
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