Posted by Samuel on Thu 25th Apr, 2024 - tori.ng
The Afro-sentio artist who recently released a new single, Alinko’, took to his X account to narrate his ordeal in the hands of the police officers.
Shine TTW, a rising Nigerian singer also known as Chukwuma Chinaza Ferdinand, has voiced his distress over an alleged encounter with officers from the Lagos State Police Command stationed at Amuwo-Odofin Division. He claims they subjected him to harassment, threats, detention, and baseless accusations of fraud without discovering any evidence against him.
The Afro-sentio artist who recently released a new single, Alinko’, took to his X account to narrate his ordeal in the hands of the police officers.
According to him, the armed officers used a minibus without a number plate. He said they overtook and blocked his car at Orchid Road in the Lekki area of Lagos at around 2 am.
The artist said without reading his offence to him, the police officers collected his car key and mobile phone, forcibly pushed him into their vehicle and drove him to Amuwo-Odofin Police Station.
He explained that as he kept asking the police officers to tell him his offence, they handcuffed him, insulted him and threatened to beat him.
He noted that at the police station, while he was still not allowed to call his people to inform them of his whereabouts, the officers accused him of fraud and forced him to write a false statement. He said they detained him for hours until his people tracked him to the station.
He said, “I’m distraught & still in shock. Stepped out around 2am to drop something for a friend at Orchid road in Lekki, some “officers” in full black holding guns double-crossed my car, ordering me to park & come down.
“With no questions asked, they collected my car keys and started pushing me into their small bus (korope) with no plates, took my phone from me instantly while forcing me to wear handcuffs. I kept on asking them one question throughout this ordeal, What is my offense?
“They successfully dragged me into the bus after yelling at me & threatening to beat me up & started driving past lekki, one of their officers drove my car behind & I kept on requesting for my phone to inform my people of my whereabouts; all I was getting was threats & insults.
“After about an hour drive, I discovered we were at a police station at Amuwo-Odofin & I recognized it ASAP because they did this same thing to me in 2020, they beat me up & detained me for no reason back then at this same place. I realized I was reliving my past trauma.
“Eventually, they tried forcing me to write a false statement claiming I was into fraud & I refused, they kept on threatening to beat me up claiming I was being stubborn and I wasn’t released till later in the morning since midnight when my team members tracked me to that place.
“For how long will this go on? If not for my management, what happens to other people who have nobody to help them out? These same policemen have been doing this for over 4 years & going scot-free, I’m still in shock about my ordeal tonight.
“It’s so sad to see the Nigerian police system very messed up.
“The officer that drove the car broke the front light & left scratches on the car. Naah I’m too upset, I do not deserve this AT ALL!!”
Reacting to his complaint, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, directed the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin to follow up on the matter.
However, several efforts made by SaharaReporters on Thursday to get the reaction and update on the matter failed as the Lagos police spokesperson neither answered his calls nor replied to a message sent to him.