- Safiu Kehinde
A Nigerian TikToker, simply identified as Lumber, has on Monday night had a dramatic confrontation with police officers in Lagos after seizing one of the officers’ phones over alleged destruction on her vehicle papers.
Lumber was reported to have been flagged down along an undisclosed road for a stop-and search.
The officers would, according to a post shared on X on Tuesday by an X user, demand that the TikToker follow them to their vehicle to check his particulars which was earlier handed over to them.
Lumber’s reluctance and questioning of the directive appeared to have upset one of the officers who tore the document.
This had escalated the already tensed situation with a confrontation which lasted from 1am to 4am with the TikToker seizing the officer’s phone.
“A popular TikToker, Lumber, got into a serious confrontation with police officers during a late-night stop-and-search in Lagos. He and his friends were stopped, and the officers took Submarine Boy’s car papers, insisting they follow them to their vehicle for verification, but he refused.
“What was meant to be a quick check dragged from around 1am to 3am, with tension building.
“When Lumber tried to get the papers back, one officer reportedly tore them, which pushed things over the edge.
“Out of frustration, Lumber seized the officer’s phone and insisted they replace the damaged papers before getting it back 😂. The back-and-forth continued until about 4am.” The X user, @AbisoyeOmotosho wrote.
He expressed concern over the continued cases of police harassment.
“Honestly, how long are things supposed to keep going like this? How do you check someone’s documents and end up destroying them?
“That’s not enforcement, that’s abuse. Situations like this just keep raising questions about accountability and how citizens are treated.” He added.
Some other X users joined Omotosho as they decried the spate of police harassment in the state.