Published 19th Oct, 2021

By Abdullah Tijani

Officers of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested Yusuf Yakub, a student of the University of Lagos, and collected N50,000 to free him.

Speaking with FIJ, Yakub said he was arrested on September 2, after being manhandled by the officers in the Ketu area of Lagos State.

“As I alighted from a bus in Ketu, a man in mufti grabbed my belt from the back,” Yakubu narrated. “I challenged him, but before I knew what was happening, other policemen in uniform dragged me onto a bus. They asked what was in my bag and I told them it was a laptop.”

After searching his phone and laptop, they took him to their station.

“They said I was a ‘Yahoo boy,’” Yakubu said. “I told them I was a student and I had an exam the following day. Then they said I should pay N400,000.

“When I said I couldn’t afford that amount, they started threatening me. They said they would lock me up and put it on record that I killed someone.”

After minutes of negotiation, they accepted N50,000. But they wouldn’t give a bank account number to put the money in.

“They seized my laptop and all the things in my bag, then said I should go outside and withdraw the money for them. Since I didn’t have such an amount in my account, I told the person who wanted to lend me the money to send it to someone at the ATM,” Yakub said.

“I just wanted to leave the place because I had an exam the following day.

“It is so unfortunate that the police just harass people anyhow. Each time I see a police officer, I am scared.”

Several calls placed to CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, Lagos police spokesperson, for comments were not answered. A text message sent to him was also not responded to.

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