MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH NIGERIA POLICE FORCE

Some officers of @nigeriapoliceforce don't deserve to wear the force uniform. I remember vividly in 2013 in my former hood along Pedro road, Bariga. It was a cool and calm evening and some of the neighbours both young and old brought out different game out to while away the stress of the day. While some took to Lido, Whot, Áyó, Chess and draft. I was playing draft with my opponet when suddenly hell broke loose, we all started running in different directions even the elderly ones too, it was after I ran to the end of our street I discovered it was officers of our Nigeria police force that came. And who dear you not to run, I could hear and see them from my position trying to arrest the unlucky ones; It was a big drama scene.

I decided to walk jejely to my house through the back of the car's parked, I was tip toeing to enter the gate when the women in my compound blocked the entrance, I was begging them to make way for me to enter the house, before they could clear the way for me I was grabbed from behind by one of the officers.  I was hand cuffed with a friend together with his aunt for resisting them from taking us away. They made us to walk from our street to the bus stop were they parked their borrowed Danfo(Yellow)bus. Fast forward to Pedro Police station, where the whole drama changed in a twinkle of an eye.

We arrived Pedro Police station after an hour later, we were moved to an office close the officers desk(Counter). They said we were going to write statement and threaten that we will only write according to their scripts. They ask us to empty our pockets and bring out any valuable we had( my phone was the only thing they returned back after the incident). We were asked if we could write or one of the officer will write, I opted to write myself. I was given a pen and a clean sheet of paper to put down my statement, I was told to write that they caught us smoking marijuana and gambling I replied the officer; Sir I don't drink alcoholic drink neither do I smoke Cigarette not even to mention marijuana. I could'nt even finish the last word before I received the urgliest slap I have ever received till date. I insisted I was not going to write anymore. Eventually we were asked to stand behind the counter waiting to be ordered into the cell room's according to our genders. While negociating with the officers on our bail even thou bail is free according to the posters on the walls, the masters of the cells (Awon Agba) started yelling if we are coming in we should come along with their money(owo awon agba). We could'nt meet our bail condition so we made our way straight to the cells into the awaiting arms of the boys, they searched us but could'nt find a kobo from us they decended on us, they gave us serious beating after that we moved to a corner of the cell. The rules and laws were read to us afterward we introduced ourselves and our journey to the cells, some stories were mind blowing and unbelieveable. More and more more were brought in, before we could say jack the cell was over crowded.  And business was buming for both the Masters and the officers, as for me I could'nt sleep because no space to lay my head and mosquitoes could not help matter at all.

The discomfort in the cell was unberable to everyone inside, for anyone to send text and calls you will have to call the attention of one of the officers to attend to you.

It was a night  of unbelieveable wonders, my body became weak, I was hydrating no water to drink and no space to breath in good oxygen without breathing in mixtures of body odour emitting from my fellow roomies, so many thoughts ran through my mind. I HATED THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE, while I coupled myself to wall, they brought in another man this was in late hour. We found that he is an officer that did something wrong, I didn't care to know his offence, the agba pointed to the cell opposite ours and said there is an officer in that cell he has being there for 3 days under the order of the DPO.

I started singing a praise song, I was joined by others. Our voices was so loud that one officer came our cell entrance and said if we can maintain this kind of praise in our lives none of us should be in such a place like this.  After the prayer session in the morning an officer came to call out some names to come out, myself and my friend came out of the cell with his aunt. His Dad was around even our neighbours to bail us, eventually we were released after they had collected N7,500 for not commiting any crime. I thank God we came out safely and didn't stay longer, so many Innocent lives has gone and many still in detection for crime they know nothing about. I rather have a para military officer as friend than a policeman as a friend. 

In Nigeria today I see the work of a policeman as a cursed proffession, but the good officers are few may be none, I remember a day I had to visit a station to make a report. I went straight to the counter to speak to the officer on duty, after I told her my mission she called one of the officers to attend to me, after dishing out my plight to the officer the worst statement that came out of his mouth was HOW MUCH YOU GO PAY, MAKE WE COME CARRY HIM.