A social media influencer, Milan Samuel Chukwu, popularly known as Hybrid Soulja, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of unlawfully arresting his younger brother in an attempt to locate him over a petition reportedly filed against him in Lagos.
The influencer made the allegation in a video shared on his social media platforms on Monday, claiming his brother was detained despite having no connection to the case.
According to Hybrid Soulja, he became aware of the incident after receiving a phone call from his younger brother’s number. However, instead of hearing his brother’s voice, a stranger answered the call and informed him that his sibling had been taken into custody over allegations of owing members of the public money.
He said his request to speak with his brother was declined before the caller ended the conversation and switched off the phone.
Concerned by the development, the influencer said he immediately contacted his elder sister and his brother’s wife, both of whom said they were unaware of the arrest.
He noted that the detained brother had only recently gotten married.
Hybrid Soulja further claimed that his brother later managed to obtain his phone briefly and sent a message to their elder sister, alleging that he was being detained because security operatives were looking for the influencer.
According to him, the message prompted him to leave his residence and contact his lawyer, who had reportedly been handling an earlier petition against him in Lagos.
The influencer said his lawyer informed him that using his brother’s arrest as a means of locating him would be improper.
He also claimed he contacted the female police officer handling the Lagos petition, who allegedly denied authorizing any officers to travel to Abuja to arrest his brother and described such an action as illegal.
Hybrid Soulja added that he subsequently engaged another lawyer in Abuja, who reportedly contacted the Divisional Police Officer, only to be told there was no such case at the station.
According to the influencer, his brother later informed him that he had been transferred to another police station in the Area 10 district of Abuja.
He alleged that his brother told him he was arrested at his workplace after a group of men showed him a photograph of the influencer and asked him to identify his elder brother before demanding that he lead them to his residence.
Hybrid Soulja further claimed that the officers told his brother they had been monitoring his phone calls and traced him because the siblings had been communicating regularly.
Questioning the legality of the operation, the influencer wondered why officers would travel from Lagos to Abuja to arrest his brother over a petition in which he was not a suspect.
He said his younger brother has since been released from custody.
The Nigeria Police Force has not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.