How police battered me — Baba Fryo

Afro-reggae artiste, Friday Igweh, popularly called Baba Fryo, was on Tuesday morning beaten by some policemen for daring to advise them to show restraint in manhandling two ladies.

The Ajegunle-bred singer, who is currently receiving treatment at a medical centre, told our correspondent on the telephone on Wednesday that the police officers were too hard on him.

He said he was at Desyles Hotel and Night Club, Iyana Ishashi, along Badagry Express Road — owned by his friend – when two policemen came to arrest two female customers.

Baba Fryo said, ‘‘Two police officers came to arrest two ladies without any concrete reason and I said the way they were manhandling them was improper. I was very polite to them. But after some discussions they agreed to come in the morning to arrest them.

“I was however surprised when seven policemen returned, including the first two that came earlier. This was around 3am. They swooped on the ladies and that was when I pointed out that their action was not proper. The two ladies were being courted by a guy who wanted them to go home with him for the night. They were with him in his car and I think after they playfully damaged the ignition of his wiper and realising they were not ready to follow him home, he played a smart one by getting the police to arrest them.”

The singer stated that when he spoke, the policemen left the two ladies and pounced on him.

According to him, they injured his right ankle with their batons, kicked him with their boots and handcuffed after dragging him to Isashi Police Station along Badagry Express Road.

He added, ‘‘I was handcuffed and kept behind bars. I remember that the two policemen that came earlier to the hotel told their colleagues when they saw my state that I did nothing wrong but only intervened when they came to arrest the ladies initially.’’

Baba Fryo hit stardom in 1996 with a maiden album, Denge Pose after which he released a sequel album, Notice Me, in 1999, and Country No Send, 2003.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, who picked her calls after trying her line four times and sending her an SMS, promised to get back to our correspondent. Her response did not however come as at the time of going to the press.