Halima Raheem, a social media influencer popularly known as “Papaya Ex”, has alleged that she was assaulted by some police officers in the Ajah area of Lagos.
On Saturday, Papaya shared a video showing a bruise on her face, alleging that police officers assaulted her and her driver at a checkpoint.
Papaya, who appeared visibly distressed in the clip, claimed that one of the security operatives also struck her breast with a gun and seized her phone.
She added that she was unaware of what prompted the alleged harassment and claimed she had already provided the requested documents.
“The policeman snatched my phone. He slapped me and then hit my stomach, my face and my breast with a gun. They had already collected all the necessary documents and the driver’s licence,” she said.
However, in a post via X, Benjamin Hundeyin, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) spokesperson, claimed that the incident happened because Papaya Ex refused the patrol officers a routine search of her vehicle in the middle of the night.
“The part before she went live. Just before 2am, police on night patrol stopped a car conveying three men and two women and asked to check the car. She bluntly refused saying, ‘You cannot search my car. Don’t you know Papaya? Even your bosses know me.’,” Hundeyin claims.
“She chose to rather go to the station after which an officer sat in her vehicle, not before an initial refusal. Her vehicle was in front while the patrol vehicle was following behind.
“She instructed her driver to speed off, leaving the patrol vehicle far behind. At that rate, the patrol van was going to lose them. The police had to radio the patrol team far ahead to intercept them. Then the live began.”
Hundeyin then added that the case will be further investigated by the Lagos police command.
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