Stop profiling youths as ‘yahoo boys’, Kwara CP tells officers
The Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Adekimi Ojo, has cautioned officers of the command against extortion, harassment, unlawful phone searches, and profiling of youths as internet fraudsters.
Ojo issued the warning while addressing Deputy Commissioners, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Tactical Commanders in Ilorin on Friday, noting that the directive was in line with the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
He stressed that any officer found violating human rights or engaging in misconduct would face strict disciplinary sanctions.
“Officers who interfere in purely civil cases without criminal elements, unlawfully search citizens’ phones, or maliciously label youths as Yahoo boys or internet fraudsters are committing grave offences,” Ojo said.
The commissioner explained that indiscriminate phone searches on roads were strictly prohibited, except where a phone had been confirmed as an exhibit in an ongoing investigation. He reassured members of the public, particularly students and young people, that their dignity and fundamental rights would be protected.
“The era of intimidation and wrongful profiling is over in Kwara State,” he added, urging youths to remain law-abiding.
Meanwhile, the command disclosed that enforcement of tinted glass permits would begin on October 2, 2025. Motorists without valid permits, or those with fake or expired ones, would be arraigned in court within 24 hours.
Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement, advised motorists to carry their original permits at all times and urged residents to report any cases of extortion linked to the enforcement exercise through designated complaint channels.
