Mr Macaroni: How I became fearless after my ordeal with police in 2021

Mr Macaroni has revealed how his ordeal with the Lagos police — following his arrest at the #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest in 2021 — left him shaken but ultimately fearless.

The skit maker, whose real name is Debo Adebowale, was among 40 people arrested for allegedly flouting COVID-19 protocols on public gatherings.

In an interview on the WithChude podcast, Mr Macaroni recounted how he was “stripped naked and molested” by police officers, who he claimed took pleasure in his suffering.

The 31-year-old also alleged that the police warned him to stop disturbing certain individuals, implying that he was being targeted for his activism.

However, Mr Macaroni said the experience has made him fearless and more determined to use his platform to advocate for the oppressed.

“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.”