If you in Nigeria, you should have gotten used to the news of SARS officials harassing young good looking guys. Many atimes, young boys in developed cities like Abuja, Lagos, Owerri and Port Harcourt, especially the campus ones are the worst hits because of the rate of crimes in these areas.
We all know that all the good looking Nigerian boys are not into internet fraud and not everyone with a laptop is a scammer, but how can you explain this to the police officials?
I'm a blogger and visit the cyber cafe sometimes when the need arises, students also visit cyber cafes for their assignments. But when illiterate police officers see you in the cafe, they assume one thing - Yahoo!
What will you do to avoid SARS' harassment as a Nigerian?
Getting yourself free of the Nigerian police/SARS' harassment is as simple as ABC, no one will see a doctor dressing like a mechanic and accept his medications. Some things you can do in order to stay free of SARS' harassment include:- Dress modestly
There is a popular saying that you should 'dress the way you want to be addressed'. One of the things very human will notice about you is your dressing, it gives them the impression of whom you are. Sagging while walking along the street with dreadlocks and bling-bling might place you in their watch-list.- Avoid smoking weed in the public
I hear people talk about American states that have legalized and things like that. But the big question should be, is weed legalized in Nigeria? The last time I checked, it wasn't so why taking it in the public? Mind you, SARS officials coming to search your residence for weed based on information they got is their work so you should cooperate with them.- Ostracize yourself from criminals
'...tell me your friend and I'll tell you who you are,' being with criminals can make the police to identify you as one. You might eventually be released but who wants to spend a night in the cell? I guess no normal human.- Be polite with SARS officers during interrogation
Being arrested by the police/SARS officers doesn't mean that you'rte guilty, thy just want to investigate on a pending matter. Cooperate with them and trust me, no on will harm you. We all know our rights and the constitution doesn't mandate shouting at military or paramilitary officials. It even stats that we reserve the right to remain silent...check that out!- Avoid fighting on the street
This might be the easiest way of getting yourself into the police net. For whatever reason, don't fight, it doesn't pay. Try settling each case peacefully and if it doesn't work, involve the police, thy are your friend.- Stop visiting cyber cafe at night
If possible, avoid visiting cyber cafes in the night. It's not about what you're doing with the computer but what the officers will say that you're doing. You might eventually be released but before then, you might have received some beatings from the officers and inmates.- Avoid staying in a room with many people operating laptops
I should have included this in no 3 above but let me stress more on it. Sometimes, yahoo boys prefer staying together so they'll focus more on their work and forget about the outside world. Occasionally, you'll see SARS officials bursting into students' hostels and arresting people. If they see you in the midst of many yahoo boys, they'll automatically count you as one.SARS and police officials are humans like us and should be treated with respect. They are just people pursuing their normal daily duties and don't necessary mean harm to us. Moving around with your ID card will also make it easier for you to be identified in times of crisis.
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