During a brief return to his homeland, a Nigerian man living in the UK told the Nigeria Police about his disturbing experience.
Over the course of just 11 days, @SunkanmiKings disclosed on X (previously Twitter) that he had several run-ins with the law.
“Spent 11 days in Lagos, Police carry me 5 times 💀. Walai, I almost spent more time with the police than my family and friends during my vacation 😔,” he tweeted.
Many Nigerians expressed their dissatisfaction with routine police harassment and shared similar stories, which led to the post’s rapid popularity.
Some users brought attention to the growing problem of police personnel extorting and profiling Nigerians, especially those who are thought to be wealthy or from the diaspora.
“This man on my WhatsApp posted that he just bought a car about 10am, they arrested him 12pm,” responded social media user @Mzz_Opee.
“I don’t know if you guys travel around with contraband or you look like ex-convicts,” said another user, @abubakr_mubaraq. “In my entire life in Lagos, I’ve only been stopped by the police once, and all of his (the inspector’s) initial gra gra ended with a phone call.”
Concerns were also expressed by @b_winklevoss, who said, “Now this is dangerous.” If you are able to pay for an escort, these things wouldn’t have happened.