I was arrested for wearing red, cries 18-year-old mother

“I’m a footballer, not a cultist. I play for the Ultimate Team of Nigeria. I came all the way from Ajah, leaving my two-year-old son at home. I left him at home, hoping that I would be back later to see him. I didn’t know I would be arrested by the police,” fumed Nora Benson.

Benson was among seven persons arrested last week by detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command for cultism. She is furious with police for labeling her a cultist.

Benson may however scream her innocence until she is blue in the face; the police are not paying attention to her.

Benson and other six suspects were arrested at Ijora Badia at about 10:46pm on November 29, 2015.

Benson, 18, a mother of one, described herself as a professional footballer. Sounding quite exasperated, Benson said that she knew nothing about cultism. According to her, her only crime was in honouring an invitation from a friend to attend a birthday party at Ijora.

She said: “I didn’t even get to the venue of the party before I was arrested. I have never been to Ijora Badia before. My friend told me there was a party and I decided to attend.  My friend took me to Ijora. When we got somewhere, she asked me to wait. The buildings around there were shanties. She left with her boyfriend. When I got tired of waiting, I called her. She told me to wait for her. I waited for about three hours but she still didn’t come back.”

Benson said that since there was no sign that the lady was coming back, she decided to make a move and leave the area.

She saw a young man standing by the road and went across to him. She was asking for direction on how to leave the area when she saw some vigilante members.

She said that the men jumped out from their bus and for no reason, pounced on the guy she was asking direction from and started beating him.

She said: “They bundled the guy and others into their bus. They also pushed me into the bus. The vigilante men accused me of being a cultist. They said I wore a white top and red trouser. The guys too wore white tops and red trousers.  I was surprised because I didn’t even know those guys. One of the vigilante men now said he was taking us to the Baale’s place. It was all a lie! We found ourselves at the police station. I had no idea cultists’ activities had been happening in the area. I was a stranger there. I have repeatedly told the police that I know nothing about cultism, but they refused to listen to me.”

She described her arrest as an embarrassment, adding that she never knew she would stay away from her son for so long. A simple dash to a party had become a long sojourn in police custody, she said.

Speaking of her son in an emotion laden voice, Benson said: “I didn’t know I would be arrested by the police. I fed him last night and left him with someone to take care of him. The police should look for a solution to this problem because all the way here, I had been pleading my innocence!”

The other suspects, Jeremiah Okereke, Joseph Malachi, Sunday Nnana, Monday Dennis, James Francis and Kalu Ukom,   were arrested after a tip-off.

The police said: “The suspects were all arrested at Ajeromi Primary School, White Sand, Ijora Badia East. They were carrying out nocturnal meeting. A black cap, red cap and one bandana were recovered from the suspects at the scene of the crime. All the suspects wore white or black shirts. Some were on red trousers and black shoes.”

One of the suspects, Nnana, 17, said that he was also held over an unknown crime.

Nnana said: “I was cooking noodles to sell when I saw some men beating my elder brother. I rushed over to rescue him. Suddenly, I was grabbed by a man who accused me of being a cultist because I was wearing a white shirt and red shoes. I denied it, but he wouldn’t listen. That was how I found myself, my brother and other unknown faces at the police station.”

Okereke, brother to Nnana also denied being a cultist. Like others, he said he was arrested because he wore a white shirt.

His words: “I’m not a cultist. I have been living in Ijora Badia for 16 years now. I have never been involved in any criminal case. It was one of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) members, named Tunde that called the police to arrest us. Ever since I moved out of his house, he had been making my life a living hell! The police should think well before arresting people. How could I have told my brother to join cultism? A boy I brought up with my own two hands? It’s not done!”

Malachi, who said that he sells foot wears and clothes, had a similar story to tell.

Malachi recounted: “I was arrested by the OPC men alongside my friend Kalu, at Ijora Badia around 10:45pm.  We were accused of being cultists. After our arrest, the OPC instructed us to follow them to the Baale’s palace. Before we knew it, they took us to the police station. The only thing I knew was that we were strolling at night when they arrested us. We were not involved in cultism. I have my identity card with me.”

Another suspect, a father of one, Ukom, 22, who sells clothes at Yaba explained that he had only gone to Ijora to attend a friend’s birthday party when trouble came calling.

He further said: “Around 9: pm that fateful Sunday, I called my friend Joseph that there would be a party at Ijora. I told him to accompany me. By the time we got there, the party had ended. We left immediately to buy something to eat since there was nothing left. On our way, the OPC men held us. They said they were taking us to the Baale’s place.

 “I know it’s because of my tattoo and my hairstyle that they arrested me. But we are not cultists. Ever since I was born, I had never been to a police station. These OPC and police just want to make us suffer! Nobody is aware of my arrest. My parents are late. I called my brother but his phone was switched off. I’m hustling to survive in Lagos.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said that the Area Commanders with their Divisional Police Officers have placed several strategies to carry out constant raids of suspected criminal hideouts and black spots. According to him, strategies would help to reduce crime rate in the state.