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WATCH: Police harass lady while conducting illegal stop and search operation in Lagos

WATCH: Police harass lady while conducting illegal stop and search operation in Lagos

Despite several orders by the Inspector General of Police that operatives desist from conducting illegal stop and search operations, the problem of citizen harassment at the hands of officers remains a cause for worry.

A victim of such harassment, Helena, said today of her terrible experience with officers who wanted to search her for unstated reasons.

Helena said the officers, stationed at Nepa, off Abu Essien in Aguda, stopped her on a motorcycle for a search while she was heading to see a friend.

“I looked and said ‘good afternoon officer, is there a problem?'” she says.

But the officer, whom Helena was able to identify as Lucky, retorted, “get down my friend, I want to search you!”

She obliged, and the officer Lucky began to search through her bag.

“He didn’t ask for my name, ID. Nothing. He threw my stuff on the floor and searched my bag. I kept asking him, ‘officer what’s the problem?'”.

But Officer Lucky only replied that he has the “right to search anybody that looks suspicious.”

“He said I’m looking like a criminal so he has to search me if I’m carrying drugs,” she says.

“I asked for a warrant to search me and he said a warrant is only for when he comes to my house to arrest me.

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“He had the nerve to tell me that sometimes some girls hide marijuana in their panties. That he may need to check me.”

Officer Lucky and his men found nothing on Helena, but her attempt to film them in the act infuriated them and led to even more abuse.

They seized her phone and threatened to lock her up, until some onlookers intervened.

“I can’t find my other phone. My ankle is worse and I have bruises,” she says.

The incident, which is one of many, is just few months after VP Yemi Osinbajo ordered the IGP to enforce a reform of the Force.

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