The Nigeria Police Force has presented its account of events after social media influencer Abike Raheem, popularly known as Papaya Ex, accused a police officer of assault during a late-night incident in Lagos.
Papaya Ex had alleged during a TikTok live session on Friday that she was attacked by an officer in the Ajah area while returning from a movie set. She claimed the officer hit her in the face with a gun, assaulted her driver, touched her inappropriately, and forcefully took her mobile phone. During the live broadcast, she displayed what appeared to be injuries, stating that the incident was not recorded at the time due to network issues.
In response on Saturday, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the encounter occurred “just before 2 am” when officers conducting a night patrol stopped a vehicle carrying three men and two women for a routine check.
According to Hundeyin, the influencer “bluntly refused” the search, saying, “You cannot search my car. Don’t you know Papaya? Even your bosses know me.”
He explained that she opted to head to a police station, and after initially declining, an officer entered her vehicle while the patrol team followed behind. Hundeyin alleged that during the movement, she directed her driver to accelerate in an attempt to leave the officers 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 stated, adding that the Lagos State Police Command would give further details.
Providing additional clarification, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said a white Mercedes-Benz SUV with five occupants — two women and three men — was stopped during a routine stop-and-search operation. She noted that the individuals could not provide satisfactory identification when questioned.
She added that one of them repeatedly stated, “I am Papaya X, even your bosses know me,” but did not present valid identification or verifiable information. Officers then requested that they proceed to Ajah Police Station for proper identification and documentation, with an assistant superintendent of police entering 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.
Adebisi confirmed that the matter remains under investigation and assured that further updates would be provided.