Police said, “The viral video being circulated was recorded after the vehicle had been successfully stopped at the second checkpoint.”
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Nigeria Police Force has denied allegations by social media influencer Abike Raheem, popularly known as Papaya Ex, that she was assaulted by an operative during a late-night encounter in the Ajah axis of Lagos State.
In a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, countered the claim, stating that it was the content creator who attempted to evade arrest.
During an emotional TikTok Live session on Friday, Papaya Ex alleged that a police officer assaulted her in the Ajah area while she was returning from a film set.
She claimed the officer struck her in the face with a firearm, assaulted her driver, touched her inappropriately, and forcibly confiscated her mobile phone.
Reacting to the assault allegations, Hundeyin stated that the incident began “just before 2 am” when officers on night patrol stopped a vehicle carrying three men and two women for a routine search.
According to the spokesperson, the influencer “bluntly refused” the search, reportedly saying: “You cannot search my car. Don’t you know Papaya? Even your bosses know me.”
He noted that although she initially refused, she eventually agreed to proceed to the police station, at which point an officer entered her vehicle.
ALSO READ: Skit maker Papaya Ex alleges police struck her face, sexually assaulted her
Hundeyin explained that while her car drove ahead with the patrol team following, she allegedly instructed her driver to speed off, leaving the police vehicle far behind.
“At that rate, the patrol van was going to lose them. The police had to radio the patrol team far ahead to intercept them. Then the Live began,” he wrote, adding that the Lagos State Police Command would provide further details.
Also speaking on the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, provided a fuller account of the encounter.
She said: “A white Mercedes-Benz SUV carrying five occupants—two females and three males—was intercepted during a routine stop-and-search operation. When questioned, the occupants were unable to provide satisfactory means of identification.
“One of them repeatedly stated, ‘I am Papaya Ex; even your bosses know me,’ but failed to present any valid identification or offer verifiable details.”
SP Adebisi added that officers requested the group proceed to Ajah Police Station for proper identification and documentation, with an ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) joining the SUV while other officers followed.
“However, upon leaving the scene, the driver suddenly sped off in an apparent attempt to evade the police. The vehicle was subsequently intercepted through the swift intervention of personnel from Langbasa Police Division at another checkpoint around Addo Roundabout.
“The viral video being circulated was recorded after the vehicle had been successfully stopped at the second checkpoint,” she said.
