CORRUPTION: How I Innocently Fall Victim In The Hands Of Those Who Were Meant To Protect Us

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After I resumed for the new session, I decided to go out yesterday to get a few things that I will need to sustain myself little did I know I will witness the force agent molest youths like myself even though the initial aim of their creation was to protect civil rights.

But funny enough, I did not just witness it happen, I also fell prey. Why? Let’s find out.

When the vehicle arrived my destination (junction), I dropped and started taking a walk to the first store I will get the first thing on my list but something else caught my attention, it was members of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS, a division of the Nigeria Police Force) and I decided to take a breath and make some enquiries.

When I asked someone, in his words, he said “I just saw men in a van and in mufti drove past an Avalon car and stopped right in front of it forcing the car to come to a quick stop and next thing was they asked the two boys to step out of their vehicle while exerting force when the boys inquire to know if they were driving wrong or probably had some parts of the car not fixed, they recived beating instead and the force men starting shouting at them that they are fraudsters and criminals just because they were young, and driving a car”.

I couldn’t just stand and do nothing, of course there was nothing I could do at that time because it involved members of the Police Force so I decided to take pictures and share the story with fellow Nigerians on Social Media because for a while now, Nigerian youths has been protesting both on social media and off social media but all protest was to no avail.

I became the target when one of them saw me taking pictures and the next thing was a very hot slap on my face as he forced me to get in their van with the boys I couldn’t struggle with them even though I know I have done nothing wrong but I was treated like a criminal still because they have the weapon and I had had nothing and they added they are taking us to their station.

On the way to their station, they started saying several things to us and they stold me specifically that they will plant an app in my phone and hold me responsible for it and nothing will happen I wasn’t surprised because I already heard a lot about them and I just held my cool.

The next thing was that they started asking the other boys to settle them with money stating that they know they are fraudsters so they should settle them and not eat alone.

After searching my phone and they saw nothing useful to them, one of them turned to me that I should bail myself with 10,000 naira o forfeit my phone. I told him I have nothing on me and he said he would take me to an ATM point so I could withdraw and hand them some money.

I told him he would get nothing from me but at that point he dragged my wallet from me containing 6,000 and he took it and they dropped me off the nearest junction.

It was already late for me to go back to get the things I wanted to buy so I just took a cab and head straight to my campus while they zoomed off with the other two boys still in their van.

That was how I ended up not buying anything on my list just because the people who were supposed to protect our civil rights are now abusing it and the government wouldn’t listen to the voice of the people still. I am not surprised, because it’s said “people don’t talk while they are eating”.

With this, I have come to agree with the youths on social media and I’m calling on the government to reform the Nigeria Police Force and do away with the bad eggs hiding inside the good ones.

I wasn’t happy but I was relieved that I got home safely and I slept in my place because I wonder what could’ve happened to me if they had taken me to their station.

There are a lot of youths who suffer daily in their hands for reason best known to them bust just because their voices are being taken for granted, the Force men still use it to their advantage to molest even more youths and this must stop because this isn’t right.

Share your experience below if you’ve had similar experience or share a suggestion lets see how we can make our voices to be heard.

Thanks for reading my piece, I remain @prechi