Videos Expose Lagos Policemen Assaulting UNILAG Student Over Number Plate

Some videos emerged on Tuesday showing how police officers assaulted a Nigerian student.

The  videos showed the moment when power-drunk policemen dragged and assaulted a student of the University of Lagos, John Akinwale, over claims that he drove a car with “covered” number plate in the Oshodi area of Lagos State.

In the videos obtained by SaharaReporters, Akinwale kept asking the policemen what his offence was, as they dragged him away, saying he was rude and had the effrontery to record their action.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported on Monday that Akinwale landed in hospital after the policemen tortured him till he went into a coma at Mosafejo, Oshodi area.

It had been reported that Akinwale was arrested on Monday around 2pm, after he bought fuel at a filling station and sighted by policemen attached to the Mosafejo division.

It was gathered that the operatives extorted N5, 000 from the UNILAG student, who is also an activist, before dragging him to a police station.

“What have I done? Can you leave me? I will record you, because I have not done anything. Is this plate number covered? This plate number is not covered. Take me to anywhere. Is this number plate not clear and glaring? Take me to court. I don’t know what the offence is. I have all my documents complete,” Akinwale screamed in the videos as he was being dragged away.

“I will rubbish you. You are too small. You will bring that phone. So, you are recording,” one of the policemen yelled in the background.

A witness had said that after the extortion, the policemen, not done, beat Akinwale till he went into a coma, for being “rude” after which he was rushed to hospital.

A source said, “John came out from the office of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and he pulled into a filling station. The policemen rushed to him just as he was about to leave the station.

“They collected N5, 000 from him and they dragged him to a police station. He collapsed in police custody after being beaten up by the officer. He was arrested for covering his number plate. He was held for hours for being rude to the Divisional Police Officer of the Mosafejo Division in Oshodi.  

“It was when he became unconscious that he was rushed to hospital. It is now that he is regaining consciousness that he confirmed that the policemen hit him with objects."

“I saw him use medication for typhoid fever earlier that morning. We first thought it was the medication that his body reacted to. But the doctor at the hospital confirmed that it was not the drugs but that he was hit by an object.

“When he regained consciousness, he said the same thing, that the policemen beat him up,” another source said.