“There is nothing remote about working.” That was what a police officer told Ibrahim Kazeem’s friend when he was harassed this month.

On December 6, Kazeem shared his friend’s ordeal on Twitter. The friend is a remote worker who had just moved to his house in Ilorin, Kwara State, three months earlier.

“Police went to his home… and said he was reported to be staying indoors too much. They took his phone so he wouldn’t be able to follow up with his lawyer after reaching him. They left him after harassing and extorting him,” he wrote.

My friend moved to his house in the outskirts of Ilọrin 3 months ago.
Police went to his home this morning that he was reported to be staying indoors 2much. He told dem he's a remote worker but they said there's nothing remote about working. They took his phone so he…

— Ibrahim Kazeem Content writer and SMM (@peng_writer) December 6, 2022

The new low among Nigerian police is the unprovoked harassment of remote workers, FIJ learnt. This development shows that nowhere is safe from the police.

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Olaleye Idowu, an Ogun State resident, used to work as a fully remote writer with Opera News until an incident that happened on March 5, 2020.

While speaking with FIJ, he said there was a heavy bang on his door and he saw officers of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) trying to force their way in when he opened the door.

“They were armed with heavy guns and they asked me what I did for a living. Luckily, I had my ID card then, so I told them I am a journalist who writes. I had to show them my profile dashboard on my phone app.

“My wife, who was in the bathroom taking her bath, had to quickly leave the bathroom; my baby crying because of the unusual knock at that time of the day,” Idowu told FIJ.

What this Ogun resident found baffling was the manner in which the officers stormed into his apartment, and he surmised that there must have been a tip-off.

Idowu was, however, thankful that the officers left without hurting him.

“Where I stayed then with my wife and child was a mini flat in an estate that had a security gate. I was young, had a family and was at least doing well,” he said.

“The neighbours couldn’t utter a word to defend me because I only greet, contribute my due and mind my business while focusing on gathering news, which requires mental stability.”

He further revealed that he was now a hybrid worker and even when indoors, nobody would know.

Although he still believes in working remotely, he opined that work-from-home employees need not tell anyone they work remotely regardless of the notion that one must go out to make money.

“Security is local and everyone in a locality knows people around, so I think self help security is needed,” he said.

When this reporter scrutinised some of the responses to Kazeem’s Twitter post, it was clear that the police profile remote workers and wrongly assume they are fraudsters.

Mayowa, a Microsoft certified trainer, does not have a personal experience with the police.

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However, he told FIJ that the unpalatable experiences of his friends in the hands of the Nigerian police made him request a means of identity from Microsoft.

“Police no go follow you reason say you be remote worker,” he said.

“I have friends in Lagos who have been harassed several times. Two among them relocated to the UK out of frustration; they were slapped countless times and tagged yahoo boys.

“I had to request for an ID card from Microsoft.”

According to Ridwan Oladimeji, a Twitter user, police officers have recently been tracking remote workers with information received from their neighbors.

“It boils down to misconduct by police officers due to unverified intel from supposed informants (neighbors),” he said.

Like Kazeem’s friend, Uthman said his police broke into his friend’s house two months ago around 4.00 am and detained him for eight days.

FIJ reached out to the duo on Twitter, but they declined to comment further on the incidents.

When contacted, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson of the Nigerian police, told FIJ that the issue was not national.

“Contact the public relations officer of the concerned states. It is a local issue,” he said.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State police spokesperson, asked this reporter to send a text message, but he had not responded to it at press time.

Ojukwu is a reporter with FIJ, in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.