4th April, 2019
Controversial founder of Free Nation movement, Daddy Freeze and Nollywood actress and showbiz, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde have attacked the Lagos State Police Command over comment that tattoo and dreadlocks are strange to Nigeria’s culture.
Lagos Police Command’s spokesperson, Bala Elkana, had in an interview with BBC Pidgin, said that tattoos and dreadlocks were strange to Nigeria’s culture and that it was part of the reason why most people who rocked them were being harassed by law enforcement agents.
Bala, who condemned the recent killing of a football fan, Kolade Johnson in the state, said police officers usually harass any youth wearing dreadlocks or having a tattoo on them because most of the cultists who had been arrested wear dreadlocks or had tattoos on them, adding that the police had overtime seen a connection between cultism and those who rocked dreadlocks and had tattoos on their body
According to him, “tattoo and dreadlocks are strange to our culture, especially for Nigeria. Most times when you arrest cultists, many of them have signs on them.”
Reacting to this development, Freeze, on his Instagram page, said Elkana’s statement reeked prejudice and stereotyping.
“In my humble opinion, this statement reeks prejudice and stereotyping.
“By the way, my Yoruba grand mother had tattoos, there were local tattoos that women wore back then, my grandma had them. Kids born with dread are called ‘dada’ so I’m not getting this,” he said.
Also, Jalade-Ekeinde, reacted to Freeze’s post, said the police needed to undergo mental evaluation, saying that they needed to be exposed, retrained and re-educated.
“These people need to truly undergo Mental evaluation. They also need to be exposed and retrained/ re-educated.
Are suits part of your culture?
“Why haven’t you arrested politicians and professionals that wear them? If he really said this, it’s truly embarrassing the quality of minds in positions of authority in this country. So sad,” she said.