My Encounter with the Nigerian Police

On October 12, 2007 at about 12 noon I went UBA bank Akowonjo branch egbeda to check if my Google adsense check has been clear luckily for me the check has been clear so I withdrew some dollars, immediately I step out of the bank two guy approached me and demanded to know who I am I show them my identity card and they also identify themselves as police and they said am needed at their station for questioning.

I followed them to their station (Idimu Police station pipeline egbeda idimu)    When we got  to their station  they collected all my belongings My phones , Identity card, a sum of N8550  given to me by my client   for domain registration and hosting and the dollars with me and I was  ask to write statement and ask them that statement for what ? what crime did I committed  by withdrawing money from my own  account.

They started insulting me that am a yahoo, yahoo guy that they caught me today “this maga don hook they where intimating me saying all sort of things calling me names, they didn’t allow me to make any call or received my any call.

I explain to them that a web developer, that I design website they said I design  fraudulent website for fraudster to defraud people and put it them that I will give them all the website that I have design and they go and verify if they are fraudulent they said that am proving to be clever that they like people like me and they know how to deal with people like me by the time they we start dealing with me that I will start confessing I ask them confess about what I have just explain what I do to you and and I got those money, it got to a point I told them that am not writing any statement they said I claimed that I do website  design is my company register I said I don’t have a register company yet but I do business in my name , they took it to another level that am doing a legal business in an illegal way and I ask they what they meant by legal business in an illegal way.

This question also open up another chapter, did you register with EFCC OR NCC I was like which one is this again EFCC is a body regulating crime and corrupt practices in Nigeria while the NCC is regulating the telecommunication industry and further explain to them that I don’t know any body that regulate home based business they said I want to teach them their job that they know what their doing by the time they finish with me I would know where I am.

When they realize that the argument is not getting them anywhere and I have also refuse to continue the writing of the statement they took me to the D.P.O, the D.P.O question me and ask them to do the necessary investigation .

So the next phase is to go and search my apartment I told them that I don’t have the keys to my apartment with me that I have to pick it up from my financee shop they followed me get the key and we headed to my apartment on our way I ask them for a search warrant  the way they  answer me I was shocked, do you think we are foolish police men but to me that is just the right procedure I have to see your search warrant before you can search my apartment they show me the warrant , mean while my fiancé has been able to reach my sister and her husband  and they where able to reach my step dad who as a  detective  in the criminal investigative department at panti

When we got to my apartment I told that my step dad is detective in the force and I mention his name immediately I mention is they were all saying pears na our guy one of them said “ Ha as I hear pears so I weak” luckily  for me they knew my step dad they ransack my apartment they didn’t find anything incriminating they took my secondary school testimonial, my driver’s license , national identity card, My success digest leadership club identity card, my ATM cards  and some document  back to the  station on our to the station my step dad called to tell them he is on his way.

When we get back to the station the D.O.P was not on sit. Not quite long my step dad arrived they all stated greeting him oga sir wetin bring you come here and my step dad answer you guys arrested my son and they said oga na yahoo and my step dad reply and said if he is yahoo I won’t be here for him , we try to reach the D.P.O on phone but they said he doesn’t want to received any call so my step talk we the D.C.O at the end they gave me phones and I was released to comeback the next day to see the D.P.O to get my other belonging.

According to my own investigation the police Where so particle about the foreign currency One of them was even telling me that forex trading is illegal.
To court the story short my step dad transfer the case to panti  and the police started begging initially I was the one looking for them but later it became the other way round they were calling and begging me to come and get my belongings., finally I went to get my belonging and money and every other document they collected from.

I give God the glory if not for my step dad they would have collected my money collected my money for no reason and secondly had it been they found anything incriminating in my apartment they would have nailed me and concluded that they have caught one yahoo yahoo

Finally my advice is anything we are doing we should be upright and avoid anything that will get us into trouble if I have be involved in anything dubious I wouldn’t have been able to talk to my apartment. I give God all the glory

@ Feyisara:

Wow, a long, though interesting read. I'd say you're one of the lucky ones, glad you got things sorted out though.

And these "police officers" are meant to protect Nigerian citizens, and make them feel safe?! They are bloody robbers!

As far as I'm concerned, the only good Nigerian cop is a dead one, bloody corrupt, money-grabbing, fraudulent, brutal shysters!