The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, has accused police officers of assault, harassment, and unlawful detention following an encounter at a checkpoint along the Lokoja-Abuja highway, near Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking to journalists via phone on Monday, Isah narrated that he was travelling to Idah, Kogi State, for an engagement when police operatives stopped his vehicle for routine checks. He stated that despite presenting all required vehicle documents, which the officers verified, they refused to return them without explanation.

The situation reportedly escalated when Isah’s personal assistant attempted to record officers allegedly rough-handling a woman at the checkpoint. “I am around Abaji, and the police have parked me, collected my documents, and have refused to release me. I have been assaulted, and my boy beaten severely for taking shots of what happened,” Isah said.

A video circulating online captures a distressed woman sitting in the middle of the road, pleading for the officers to resolve the matter, saying, “Make una settle it oo, anywhere where the problem dey.”

Isah further alleged that his aide was forcefully dragged into a police patrol van, while two officers commandeered his car and instructed him to drive to the Gegu Beki Police Station. Despite explaining that he was en route to a critical assignment, Isah said he was detained for hours and threatened with imprisonment at Geregu Police Station.

“They are holding us to ransom and threatening to lock me up,” he said during the ordeal.

The NANS President claimed that despite the officers failing to find any incriminating evidence, they continued to hold him and his assistant, suggesting the incident was an attempted extortion.

“One of the passengers from a bus was humiliated. That’s what they do when they see that you are not ready to part with money,” Isah added.

Attempts by journalists to get responses from the officers involved were unsuccessful, as they declined to comment on whether anything incriminating had been found.

This incident adds to the growing concerns about police brutality and harassment on Nigerian highways, particularly targeting travellers who refuse to pay bribes.