A Nigerian man has alleged that he and a friend were abducted and assaulted by police officers in Ife, Osun State, for looking “too fresh to not be a yahoo boy.”
Sharing his experience in a post on X (formerly Twitter), he claimed the incident occurred around 8 p.m. at Powerline Junction, where they had stopped to buy suya.
According to him, officers from the Nigerian Police Force approached them, seized their phones, and conducted a thorough search, finding nothing incriminating.
When he questioned their actions, the officers reportedly claimed his appearance made him suspicious. “You are too fresh to not be a yahoo boy,” they allegedly said.
The man further stated that instead of being taken to a police station, they were driven to a secluded bush, where the officers assaulted them.
He suffered multiple injuries, including two broken toes and a toenail, and was allegedly struck with a rifle and kicked for asking why they were being mistreated.
Around 1 a.m., the officers reportedly forced them to withdraw all the money in their accounts at a POS agent in Sabo.
After taking the money, the officers allegedly threatened to frame them, 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.”
The man said he returned home traumatized at 3 a.m., while his friend, out of fear of being profiled again, cut off his dreadlocks the next morning.
Reflecting on the experience, he expressed deep frustration with the state of the nation’s law enforcement.
“The Nigerian Police Force is a valid reason for anyone to pack their bags and leave this country if they can,” he wrote.
His story has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many condemning the act.
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