A Nigerian soldier who identifies as Tejuosho on X (formerly Twitter) has recounted how Lagos police officers confiscated his iPhone 14 Pro Max and destroyed it in the wee hours of Wednesday while threatening to shoot him.

Tejuosho, who took to Twitter at 1:43 pm today, stated that what transpired between him and the police could have escalated into violence because he was with three other armed soldiers.

He tweeted that a group of police officers stopped the vehicle conveying him and three of his colleagues, the lowest ranking being a squadron leader, around the Ikeja City Mall in Ikeja at 12:42 am this morning.

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He said the police officers, who had a smell of alcohol wafting around them, did not verify their identity before demanding they exit the vehicle.

“Complying with their request, we all stepped out. When they insisted on searching the vehicle, the driver, rightfully citing the violation of the Official Secrets Act, refused to grant them permission. Instead, he presented the necessary documents showing an agency owns the vehicle while we showed identity cards,” he said.

According to him, this did not deter the police officers, as one of them disregarded their explanations and bluntly stated that he was uninterested.

He said that this action prompted him to reach for his phone to contact the appropriate section within the police but things turned out badly instead. The police officers confiscated his phone and destroyed it.

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“He then proceeded to threaten me by placing the barrel of an AK rifle against my chest. Naturally, my colleagues were deeply disturbed by this unwarranted aggression, but they managed to intervene and pull the officer away,” he said.

“It is important to note that all four of us were armed with sidearms, yet we never once drew our weapons. Yesterday’s events were a blatant display of disrespect towards my person, and the only reason it did not escalate further was because your personnel encountered law-abiding individuals.

“Rest assured, I will be lodging a formal complaint, pending a decision from my office on whether to pursue it personally or officially. Pointing guns at armed military personnel could have been disastrous, and once again, they were lucky to have met officers who are law-abiding and also take intra-agency relationships with respect.”

When FIJ called Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), for comments, he declined to speak but texted this reporter to send him a message. At press time, he had not responded to the text sent to his phone.