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Am a 300l student of medical laboratory science. Due to the on-going ASUU strike, i decided to attach myself in FMC in order to gain more experience. One my way to work, I was stopped by the men of the Nigerian Police Force at a check point in front of their station within the city. One of the officers then asked me to park aside which i did without any word of argument or hesitation. He asked for my document and driver’s licence which I gave to him. The papers are all valid but my licence has expired since January this year and I’ve been using a permit pending when the FRSC will finish renewing my licence. With all my papers and licence complete, this officer still demanded that I must give him something (bribe) before I leave. One other officer standing close to me said I should just settle the officer with #200 and he’ll let me go but the officer said #200 cannot bail me from him. I told him that I won’t give him a kobo and that he should please let me go I was getting late for work, but the officer was adamant, all he said was that if am ready to settle him, then I should let him know. He left. Now, seeing he was not ready to let me go, I decided to call my dad and explained everything to him and told him the station too. My dad now asked me to put the officer on the phone. There was this guy too with same issue as mine but his own case was he rudely told them that he won’t give them a dime, and so they beat him up till he bled. The beating caused a scene; many passers-by stopped few metres away and watched them beat this guy. While this was going on, a senior officer came out from the station (probably to find out what the commotion was all about) and suddenly my dad called. I quickly took the phone to the senior officer and told him that my dad wants to speak to the person in charge here. The next thing I heard was a heavy slap on my face. This senior officer slapped me and ordered two junior officers who dragged me to the station. On reaching inside, the officers on the counter stormed on me, about seven of them. They beat me up like a criminal and on the process, they broke my phone and I bled through my nose and right arm. They locked me up in a room. I was so angry that I started shading tears. The DPO now came and asked me what happened and I explained everything to him. He reprimanded the senior officer and told him that he should have at least picked the phone to know who was calling. Now, my dad is a *justice* I mean a serving high court judge. After calling and no response, he decided to come to the station and went straight to the DPO’s office. Two officers now came, unlocked the room I was staying and told me that I should go to my car and drive to work, sounding nice and friendly that everything is settled and is just a mix up somewhere. Then I heard one female officer whispering *the high court judge na in dad o* Now I knew my dad was around so I decide to go straight to the DPO’s office. They were busy calling ma back that I should just go to my car but I didn’t even turn back. I entered the office and heard my dad telling the DPO that he passes this road every day to work and that he sees the DPO’s men collect bribe from motorists and that he (the DPO) cannot tell him he’s un-aware of this. I then explained to my dad every that happened in the presence of some of the officers involved. They couldn’t say a word cos they knew the maltreated me. My dad told the DPO to put his men to order because he won’t take it lightly with them next time. He even told them that he has about 10 cases in his court involving the police officers abusing people. He asked me to calm down and that he’ll get me a new phone.
NOTE: I didn’t state the address of the police division because of security reason, but to narrow it down. This incident happened in one of the north-eastern states Nigeria, and believe me my fellow nlanders that this is the fourth time these police men abused me all for no reason that is why any time I hear them die or being brutalised by the Nigerian military, I feel God is punishing them for their evil acts, that’s why they never progress in this life cos you can’t treat your fellow human being that way and you expect things to go well with you, even the courses from innocent citizens that you maltreat are enough to make your life miserable. Like someone said, we are our own enemies in this country. I see no reason why the NPF can’t behave maturely like their counter-parts in other countries. God is watching!
Now, this got me thinking, I think one better offer the bribe at times cos if I had given may be #500 to this greedy officer, it would have saved my time for work, my phone and above all being beaten, would have also saved my dad the stress of leaving work just to come for me or what do you think fellow nlanders?