Mr Macaroni has stated that his encounter with the Lagos police, following his detention during the #OccupyLekkiTollGate demonstration in 2021, left him shaken but ultimately brave.
The creator of the skit, Debo Adebowale, was one of 40 individuals detained for allegedly violating COVID-19 regulations at public events.
Mr. Macaroni described how he was “stripped naked and molested” by police officers who he said took joy in his agony in an appearance on the WithChude podcast.
The 31-year-old also claimed that he was being singled out for his activism when the cops told him to stop bothering other people.
Mr. Macaroni asserted, however, that the event has increased his courage and will to use his position to support the downtrodden.
“I feel I should be involved because I think God has given me the platform today, not so I can be popular, but so that I can use the platform that I have to speak up for not just me, but for those that cannot speak up for themselves. How can I ask others to make sacrifices I am not willing to make,” he said.
“It was after that experience that all the fear in me disappeared. That is the twist. I wondered how that happened. Before that moment, I used to be afraid. I felt these people we know them and they can just come in and kill somebody. It was after these guys tortured me., saw the hate in their eyes. I saw how angry they were. And they did all that they could. And I am sure if not that I was released, they could have done more. It was at that moment I said so this is it? So right now we are back.
“The skit I made does not do justice to what I went through in that place. I had to do it so that people could watch. I was completely naked. These guys stripped us naked. I was molested. It was a thing of joy for them. They were happy. They were mentioning names. They were saying I was disturbing some people.”
