Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)The tech community in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is fighting back against what its leaders say is alleged police harassment and extortion of tech workers.
The
campaign, titled #StopRobbingUs, was launched in September after
Akinmolayan Oluwatoni, a software developer tweeted about being harassed
by officers of the state's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos,
the country's commercial hub.
SARS is a branch of the Nigerian police responsible for tackling violent crimes like armed robbery, kidnapping and murder.
In
his tweets, Oluwatoni said SARS officers stopped him while he was on
his way home and accused him of being an internet fraudster for carrying
a laptop and an iPhone.
He was
taken to a police station where the officers demanded 1 million naira
($2,759) but eventually settled for 15,000 naira ($41), he said.
"Next
thing was slaps and punch, here and there. All I could hear was
'confess you're an internet fraudster or not' I kept saying I am not a
fraudster, I am a developer for a company and all," he tweeted.
Four police officers involved in the
incident have been identified and arrested, Lagos state police
spokesman, Bala Elkana told CNN.
"As
soon as we received the complaint, we commenced an investigation on the
matter. We got four of the officers involved arrested, they are in
custody and are now being subjected to internal disciplinary
proceedings," he said.
"We also recovered the 15,000 naira they extorted from him," he added.
Tech community speaks up
The close-knit tech community, including tech entrepreneur Iyin Aboyeji and Jason Njoku, CEO of Iroko TV, are speaking up against what they call "intimidation of their colleagues."
Bosun Tijani, the founder of Co-creation Hub,
one of Nigeria's leading technology hubs, says the campaign hopes to
make those responsible for extorting and harassing tech employees take
responsibility for their actions.
"Your
basic work tool is your laptop and most technology people would have a
smartphone as well. So if police use that as an excuse to extort and
harass, then we have a serious problem in the country," he told CNN.
"What
we are doing is coming out as an industry to shine a light on the fact
that our colleagues and staff are being harassed on a daily basis, and
that it has to stop. The campaign is about calling on those who are
responsible to take action," he added.
This is not the first time SARS has been the subject of a widespread campaign.
There have been protests
under the hashtag #ENDSARS after officers of the police unit were
accused of preying on citizens, and in some cases torturing them.
Crowdfunding to support lawsuits
Tech
company founders in Nigeria have used crowdfunding to raise up to 13.8
million naira ($38,300) to finance lawsuits as well as support existing
initiatives fighting police brutality, according to Tijani, founder of
Co-creation Hub.
"The fund will
help to support lawsuits. The men involved in harassment should not just
be arrested, they have to be prosecuted," he said.
Reacting
to the campaign, Bala Elkana, a spokesman for the Lagos state police,
said police are committed to protecting the rights of Nigerian citizens.
"Citizens
have the right to move about without being harassed or molested by
anybody. If there is any member of the tech association that has
suffered any form of harassment they should step forward and we will
investigate. We are determined to bring an end to this impunity," he
told CNN.
No one should be afraid to go out with their laptops and their gadgets. For over a year we've asked the government to #EndSARS!
— Big Odun Energy (@OdunEweniyi) September 29, 2019
We need to come together to stop the harassment and extortion! Enough is enough! #stoprobbingus
On social media, Nigerians
are using the hashtag #StopRobbingUs to support members of the tech
community and highlight harassment by police officers.
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