Aspiring musician and student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Efosa Osayande, has recently claimed that some operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force shaved his hair at gunpoint.
In an interview with PUNCH, he explained, “I was travelling in a commercial bus, on my way to school from Benin City last Friday, when some men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad halted my journey. I was travelling in company with my friend, Washington. One of the policemen looked into the vehicle and stared at the passengers. Immediately the policeman spotted us, he said he must shave our heads. He ordered the bus driver to park on one side of the road.
According to him, the policemen pointed his gun at them, leading them out of the vehicle for a shave with a razor blade.
“While this was going on, the bus driver walked up to a police patrol van and appealed to their leader to prevail on his men to stop.
Although the latter asked his men to leave us alone, they refused. After shaving my friend’s head, they went on to shave mine, injuring my scalp in the process,” he said.
The duo who had roughy and dreadlock on their heads also claimed that the FSARS operatives accused them of indulging in cyberfraud commonly known as ‘Yahoo’.
On his hair, Osayande affirmed that he would grow it but avoid making implicating hairstyles as this is his second time he is falling victim.
He however implored the police force to stop exposing youths to undue health risk by forcefully shaving their hair.
“I am just 18. These hairstyles are common among young people of my age. In my opinion, what the police are doing to youths is nothing but wickedness. It would have been better, if they asked us to cut out hair. Exposing us to health risks is sheer wickedness on their part,” he said.
