Man claims police kidnapped him at suya spot for looking ‘too fresh to not be a yahoo boy’

A Nigerian man has recounted a harrowing experience with the police, claiming he and his friend were kidnapped at a suya spot and subjected to abuse for allegedly “looking too fresh to not be a yahoo boy.”  

The incident was detailed in a lengthy post shared on his account on X (formerly Twitter).

According to him, the ordeal began one evening when he and his friend visited a suya spot at Powerline Junction, Ife, around 8 p.m.

While there, they were allegedly accosted by officers of the Nigerian Police Force, who confiscated their phones and thoroughly searched them but found nothing incriminating.

When he inquired about their supposed offense, the officers allegedly replied, “You are too fresh to not be a yahoo boy.”

The man claimed the situation escalated when he questioned why they were being taken into a bush instead of a police station.

In response, he said the officers brutally assaulted him, breaking two toes and a toenail, and leaving him with other injuries.

He described being hit with a loaded rifle and kicked with jungle boots for having the “audacity” to ask questions.

Eventually, the two friends were taken to a POS agent in Sabo around 1 a.m., where they were forced to withdraw all the money in their accounts, which the officers allegedly took.

In his post, he recalled the officers threatening further harm, saying, “You should thank your stars we’re in a good mood. Otherwise, we could have planted drugs on you, emptied your accounts, and still shot you—just because we can.”

He shared that he got home around 3 a.m., traumatized by the experience.

The following morning, his friend had to cut his dreadlocks out of fear of being profiled again, while he continues to suffer PTSD whenever he sees a suya spot at night.

Reflecting on the ordeal, he remarked, “The Nigerian Police Force is a valid reason for any reasonable person to pack their bags and leave this country if they can. Patriotism to Nigeria? Talmbout what?”

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