First Class Law Graduate Claims Police Brutality Over ‘Late Night’ Outing

Just when he should have been celebrating one of life’s biggest milestones, a First Class Nigerian Law School graduate found himself caught in a nightmare instead. The young man alleges that officers from the Makinde Police Division in Oshodi, Lagos, subjected him to harsh treatment and unlawful detention simply because he was out “late at night.”

The troubling episode unfolded in the early hours of July 7, 2025, as he, his brother, and three female friends were making their way home after an event. They had parked their car at a nearby church where they regularly pay monthly fees, then started walking home when a police team, led by Officer Samson, arrived in a Hilux and descended upon them without any explanation.

“We told them we were just heading home, but they wouldn’t listen,” he recounted. “It felt like a contest to see who could beat us the hardest before shoving us into the back of their Hilux.”

One of the women was reportedly slapped so hard she bled from the nose, while another had her phone smashed and confiscated after being roughed up. When asked why they were being targeted, the officers simply responded, “Late night.”

Despite his repeated pleas, including explaining that he had a scheduled trip to Abuja for his Call to Bar ceremony, they were held at the Makinde Police Station for about eight hours. “I was going to Abuja for my Call to Bar. I kept telling them, but Officer Samson kept threatening us,” he said. “The pain in my chest was unbearable. I was calling the police officer from inside the cell before I was eventually brought to the counter.”

The ordeal didn’t stop there. The women were forced to sweep the police station and were later branded “miscreants” before being taken to Bolade Mobile Court. There, their details were recorded without any trial, and they were locked up again until 3 p.m., all while hungry and exhausted.

Even as he stood proud on July 10, 2025, during his Call to Bar ceremony, the graduate was still nursing the physical and emotional scars from the incident. “My day of joy was a day of pain,” he reflected. “Not because God didn’t crown my efforts—I graduated with a First Class—but because of what the Nigerian Police did to me just days before.”

This story is a stark reminder that sometimes, the fight for justice begins long before one steps into the courtroom.