• Super Admin
• 06 Mar, 2026

According to her, the officers took them to Oko-Baba in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos and demanded a large sum of money before they could regain their freedom. A woman, Helena Nelson Ikoi, has accused operatives of the Tactical Squad of the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State of abducting her and two friends and demanding N800,000 for their release. Ikoi made the allegation in a distress message posted on Facebook, claiming that the officers -- reportedly attached to the command's tactical unit known as "Buffalo" -- intercepted them while they were returning from an event linked to chef Chef Anani's Guinness World Record attempt. According to her, the officers took them to Oko-Baba in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos and demanded a large sum of money before they could regain their freedom. "I was just kidnapped by the Nigerian Police Command Tactical Squad, Lagos State (Buffalo)," she wrote. "I was coming from Chef Anani's Guinness World Record Grillathon with two other friends. We were taken to Oko-Baba at Ebute Metta and have been asked to pay N800k on bail or stay locked up till Monday. "I was not a criminal. We were literally coming back from the Lagos Fresh Food Hub Idi-Oro where we went to set up. I hope the Lagos State Government can look into this immediately. Please I need help. I am exhausted." Ikoi said they had earlier been at the Lagos Fresh Food Hub in the Idi-Oro area of the state, where they reportedly went to help set up activities related to the grillathon event. Her post quickly triggered outrage on social media, with several users calling on the Lagos State Government and police authorities to investigate the allegations. As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos had not issued any official statement regarding the incident. The allegation comes amid persistent complaints from residents and rights groups about extortion, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention by some police tactical units operating in Lagos and other parts of the country. SaharaReporters reported a similar in January about how a viral video sparked public outrage after it allegedly showed operatives of the Nigerian Police Force demanding a ₦50,000 bribe from a motorist at the Nise checkpoint in Anambra State over a tinted glass permit. The video, shared on X (formerly Twitter) by activist Somto Okonkwo, with the handle @General_Somto, and seen by SaharaReporters, captures an encounter between two police officers and a driver whose vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint. In the footage, the driver is heard speaking on the phone, explaining that after the police officers checked his vehicle documents and found them complete, they demanded a tinted glass permit. "After checking my papers and it was complete, they asked for tinted permit," the driver said. "I told them the matter was still in court and that the tinted permit enforcement had been placed on hold, but they refused to listen. They started harassing me and asked me to pay them ₦50,000." The video further captured one of the officers insisting on payment before allowing the motorist to proceed. "Yes, do you want me to release you to go like that free? You must bring money. I don't know who you are calling, but I will not release you to go from here, even if you are calling the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. I don't care," the officer was heard saying. The incident has renewed concerns about alleged extortion and misconduct by security operatives at road checkpoints, particularly amid ongoing debates over the enforcement of tinted glass permits nationwide. Source: https://saharareporters.com/2026/03/06/outrage-woman-alleges-lagos-police-tactical-squad-abducted-her-two-friends-demanded