I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, a nationwide therapy session should be held for Nigerians because we’ve sadly become desensitised to many issues. Mass kidnappings now barely make news headlines; no one cares that a politician on murder charges won an election, and police officers and government officials brutalising security agents is simply another day at the office.
On Monday, April 17, 2023, the security agents and residents of Omole Estate Phase 2 saw the kind of crazy they weren’t prepared for. According to the estate’s laws, visitors in private or unbranded vehicles aren’t allowed in without producing a proper means of identification.
However, when officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) who pulled up in a private vehicle were asked to identify themselves, they ignored the security guards and tried to force their way through. Annoyed at being stopped, one official stepped down from the vehicle and assaulted the guards. And before they could even grasp what was happening, touts came from nowhere. They started beating up the estate’s security agents.
At this point, there was panic and chaos everywhere. When armed police officers finally arrived at the scene in a coaster bus and Hilux van, you’d think they’d try to defuse the situation or at least protect the security guards from being harassed, but we all know the Nigerian police is built different. They instead threatened to shoot the guards and tried to force one of them into the coaster bus.
The police and the touts eventually took over the estate and prevented people from going in or out of it.
You’d expect that this behaviour would be condemned by the government or the Police Force, but nothing has been said so far because human rights abuse in Nigeria is now, unfortunately, the norm. But, one lesson that can be learnt from this is if you’re ever in trouble, you have more chances of being saved by your village people than you do with the Nigerian police.
What Else Happened this Week?
Woman Sells Her Baby to Offset Bank Loan
Debt is a trap that many Nigerians are falling into with the number of microfinance banks and loan apps available now. People do many crazy things to escape the shame and embarrassment of defaulting on a payment, but things are getting out of hand.
On April 17, 2023, a complaint was lodged at the Ogun State Police Command by Nureni Rasaq, who reported that his wife left home with their 18-month-old baby to Lagos on March 15, 2023, but she returned without the baby.
The woman was arrested, and on interrogation, she confessed that she went to Lagos to raise enough money to pay her debt to a microfinance bank. While hawking on a certain day, she met a man who offered to buy her baby for the sum of ₦600,000 and she agreed.
Investigations to recover the baby are underway, and the woman will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further questioning.
Video of the Week
Question of the week
Traditional worshippers are demanding that the federal government declares August 20 as a public holiday for them. Do you think the federal government will agree to this?
Ehen one more thing…
Have you ever heard of the Ekumeku War? It’s a story of how Igbo vigilantes resisted Britain for 31 years. Learn more about this Nigerian history here.
