A group of Nigeria’s tech leaders under the hashtag “#StopRobbingUs” has called on survivors of police brutality to join the campaign against the systemic corruption and harassment of young tech entrepreneurs in the country by men of the Nigeria Police.
The campaign which was launched September 2019, seeks to put an end to the common practice of extortion, illegal arrest and detention of young Nigerians who are either found with a laptop or largely electoral gadgets by the Nigerian police.
According to the conveners, the campaign had formally employed the service of law firms to press for stiff disciplinary actions against erring officers, revealing that it had amassed supports from tech magnates, individuals to raise awareness and fund legal campaign.
The group, therefore, noted that all hands must be on deck to ensure a viable step is taken against the bad eggs who fleeced on young tech-savvy in the country’s police force.
“Since its launch, the campaign has garnered support from some of the biggest names in Nigeria’s $2bn tech sector, as well as public policy advocates and has to-date, raised $45,000 to support public awareness and legal campaign. A number of survivors have already come forward, however, the campaign is now urgently calling for more survivors to come forward to support the multiple legal suits.
Also, #StopRobbingUs campaign has formally engaged Probitas LLP as legal representation to drive the legal advocacy. The team will be calling for the internal disciplinary process against the police officers involved to be more robust and to ensure that the guilty police officers are dismissed and punished, as a deterrent to other police officers. They will also deploy all legal options to stop the harassment and robbery of persons with laptops, casual dress and dreadlocks.”
Disturbed by the incessant reports of police brutality in the country, one of the conveners, Ms Odun Longe, bemoaned the recurring assaults of young Nigerians by rogue officers, prodding survivors to contact the group and share their ordeals. She, therefore, commended the efforts and donations the group had received towards building a virile team in the fight against the menace.
ALSO READ: Sanwo-Olu charges AIDS agency to track 60,000 untreated HIV victims
She said that “Since we launched the #StopRobbingUs campaign, we have been inundated with stories of young people in the tech sector – men and women – being illegally detained and extorted by rogue police officers. We want many more to come forward to share their experiences with us so that we can come together as a community to fight these illegal detentions.
“We have attempted to engage federal and government bodies, with some acknowledgement of the current situation, however, we feel that due to the severity of the attacks on so many of our young people, virtually on a daily basis, the only viable next step is to take legal action against those who commit these crimes.
“We are thankful for the donations that have been received already to help fight this campaign, and also we cannot thank enough Probitas LLP for acting as legal representation on a pro bono basis. Their professional expertise in this area will help us build on the momentum we have already gathered, as we say #StopRobbingUs!” she emphasised.
and then