Residents of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have taken to social media to allege police harassment, intimidation and extortion, with several users recounting experiences involving demands for money and concerns about how security personnel handle complaints. The allegations have prompted calls for an end to the reported abuses, including from…...
Residents of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have taken to social media to allege police harassment, intimidation and extortion, with several users recounting experiences involving demands for money and concerns about how security personnel handle complaints.
The allegations have prompted calls for an end to the reported abuses, including from comedian and skit maker Abdulgafar Abiola, popularly known as Cute Abiola.
One user, identified as @The_Movas, recalled how he was robbed at gunpoint in Ilorin in May 2024 and subsequently questioned how information about his report to the police reached the suspected robbers.
In a post, he said three men robbed him under Tanke Bridge on May 1, 2024, his 23rd birthday, and transferred money from his UBA and Sterling Bank accounts.
He said he contacted a police officer through a prominent social media user in Ilorin and reported the incident, believing that the transaction details could help investigators trace the suspects.
According to him, the officer promised to handle the case and asked him to visit his office on Monday.
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However, he said one of the alleged robbers called him about five hours after his conversation with the officer to question why he had reported the incident.
“How did the robber get my phone number? How did they know I had reported the incident to the police?” he asked.
The user said he could not establish how the information reached the suspected robbers but noted that the timing raised concerns about his safety.
“That incident completely destroyed my trust in the justice system. I had been robbed at gunpoint, and when I tried to seek help, I became worried about my own safety,” he wrote.
He added that he eventually abandoned efforts to pursue the case because of fears about possible consequences.
Another X user, @YesItsBash, alleged that the resumption of students in tertiary institutions across Kwara State had been accompanied by renewed harassment and extortion.
The user called on the Kwara State Police Command and the state government to intervene, warning that students would not accept a continuation of the alleged practices during the new academic session.
Meanwhile, another user, @Feeztm, questioned an allegation that police officers in Ilorin could take suspects without money to phone vendors, exchange their expensive phones for cheaper ones and collect the balance.
“I just heard something about Ilorin police that sounds too crazy to be true,” the user wrote before asking residents, “Ilorin people, abeg, how true is this?”
The allegations have also drawn the attention of Cute Abiola, who said he had repeatedly raised concerns about police brutality in the state and engaged successive commissioners of police on the issue.
In a video shared on his X handle, the comedian said he had contacted the current Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, who assured him that the alleged abuses would stop.
According to Cute Abiola, the commissioner said some videos circulating online were old, while others required further investigation.
The comedian also said he had witnessed individuals allegedly operating in plain clothes, with jackets, around school areas.
He urged residents who experienced harassment to report incidents through the contact numbers he shared, adding that officers had no right to seize their phones without justification.
“Now, from now on, this police brutality in Kwara State is going to stop,” Cute Abiola said, recounting his conversation with the commissioner.
He warned that the alleged conduct could discourage people from studying, doing business or visiting the state.
“The youth, they cannot even go out and buy something. Police brutality, it has to stop,” he said.
Responding to concerns about police conduct, Adekimi urged residents to report alleged misconduct directly to him and provide evidence to support investigations.
In a video seen on X, the commissioner acknowledged that some officers might commit excesses but said the command needed information about such incidents to take appropriate action.
“I cannot say they are not infractions at all. Some boys are not doing something that is excess. But when you see these things, we always want a situation where you escalate it to us,” he said.
Adekimi also defended legitimate police stop-and-search operations, saying they should be guided by specific intelligence rather than arbitrary decisions.
“Police men, a checkpoint, a stop and search is supposed to be purposeful,” he said, explaining that officers should focus on vehicles or individuals matching descriptions linked to reported crimes.
He encouraged residents to share evidence of alleged misconduct discreetly so that the command could investigate and take action.
The commissioner further distinguished between lawful arrests and harassment, noting that some videos shared online might relate to incidents that occurred years earlier.
The allegations by residents and the responses from the police command have renewed public attention on police accountability in Kwara State, particularly as students return to tertiary institutions across the state.