Why we fit stop pipo wit tattoos and dreadlocks - Nigeria Police
Nigeria Police for Lagos State say young young pipo wey carri dreadlocks and tattoo for body get high chance of arrest because dem feel say those tins connect wit cultism.
Nigerian youths feel say Police dey always look tins like clothe, tattoo and dreadlocks to take determine say dem be criminal But police tok-tok pesin for Lagos, Bala Elkana wey tell BBC dis one, say even though pipo wey dey do cultism dey sometimes carri dreadlocks and tattoo, e no come mean say police suppose dey arrest any young pesin wey get am for body - say strong evidence wey pass dat one must dey to arrest. 'God get im hand ontop me' na wetin Nigeria Olympic silver medallist Blessing Okagbare tattoo ontop her body Dis dey come afta di #EndSARS online campaign for Nigeria raise head again afta police 'kill' one young man for di Mangoro area of Lagos on Sunday. Pipo wey see as di thing happun say police bin wan come arrest one young man wey get dreadlocks but pipo no gree, na im make dem 'shoot for air wey come by mistake kill di man wey im name na Kolade Johnson. Young pipo for Nigeria dey para say police dey use things like clothe, tattoo and dreadlocks to take determine say dem be criminal and begin arrest dem anyhow. But di Lagos Police command tok say dem don hear dis complaints from pipo and solution don dey for am. Oga Elkana confam to di BBC say dem don withdraw officers of dia anti-cultism unit - wey im say na di unit wey dey to blame - to go give dem new training (although im no say exactly wen di police withdraw di officers). "We don tell dem [anti-cultism unit] say e no dey acceptable for anyone to go out dia to dey harass anybody." Dr Benson Olugbuo, di oga of ED Cleen Foundation wey be organisation wey dey chook eye for security mata for Nigeria also agree say hair style or clothe no reach for police to arrest pesin. "Di law grant freedom of association and movement and I no tink say di fact say pesin dey wear tattoo or dreadlock make pesin guilty." As for Dr Olugbuo, wetin really dey important na make di reform of di police - wey be one of di tins im foundation dey follow monitor - quick enta law because e don over delay. 'Tattoo and dreadlock dey strange to our culture' Tattoo common for many African society including Nigeria. Dis man here na from Benin Republic According to di Lagos police tok-tok pesin, "tattoo and dreadlock dey strange to our culture... especially for Nigeria." Im also make am clear say di police don see connection wit cultism and those wey carri dreadlock and tattoo for body. E say di chance say police go torchlight pesin wey get tattoo and dreadlocks as e dey waka for road dey high pass pesin wey no get am. "Because wen you arrest cultist, most times wen you look im body you go see some kain signs on am," tok Elkana. Tattoo and dreadlocks, although don dey popular wit young pipo on Nigeria, na something wey don dey tey for African society and no be new thing. For instance, in di olden days, tattoo na wetin dem dey take know which area of family pesin from come - in case of say wen war scata pipo. Grammy nominated Nigerian-American musician Wale dey always carry dreadlock for head "But e no always true. Some just dey do am for fashion," tok Elkana as e caution police officers say e no make sense to dey arrest anyhow.