‘I didn’t eat or bathe for four days,’ Peller says after police detention

‘I didn’t eat or bathe for four days,’ Peller says after police detention

Popular Nigerian TikTok content creator Habeeb Hamzat, widely known as Peller, has opened up about his experience in police custody, alleging that he spent nearly four days in detention without food or access to a bath following his arrest by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command.

The social media influencer made the claims in a series of posts shared on his Snapchat account shortly after regaining his freedom, describing the experience as the most difficult ordeal of his life.

According to Peller, the conditions in detention left him physically exhausted and emotionally shaken, adding that he had never experienced anything similar before.

“I am ugly now. I can’t show my face yet. Omo, I sleep cell for almost four days. It has never happened to me before in my life,” he wrote.

Peller and his associate, Bello Oladipo, were arrested on July 2, 2026, along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road in the Lekki area of Lagos after police officers intercepted their vehicle, which allegedly had no registration number plate.

The encounter reportedly escalated when Peller began recording the interaction with his mobile phone. He later alleged that one of the officers pulled his shirt and pointed a gun at him during the incident.

However, the Lagos State Police Command disputed the allegation, insisting that the duo obstructed officers who were carrying out their lawful duties during a routine operation.

The command subsequently charged Peller and Oladipo before a Lagos Magistrate Court on July 7 on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy to resist public officers, obstructing police officers in the discharge of their lawful duties, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace by allegedly threatening and filming police officers during the operation.

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Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their arraignment, the court granted each defendant ₦500,000 bail with two sureties. The magistrate directed that one of the sureties must be a blood relative, while both sureties are required to present tax clearance certificates covering the previous two years. The case was adjourned until August 11, 2026, for further hearing.

Reflecting on his days in detention, Peller claimed he neither ate nor bathed throughout the period, saying fellow inmates jokingly referred to him as their “001” shortly after he was brought into the cell.

“As dey put me for cell, people wey dey cell talk say, ‘You be our 001 now.’ Omo, I burst laugh once. I no follow anybody talk till I comot.

“001 wey una wan give water beans.

“I no chop for four good days. I no bath,” he wrote.

His account has sparked widespread reactions across social media, with many users expressing sympathy over his alleged experience, while others urged that the legal process be allowed to run its course.

The incident has also reignited public debate about police-citizen encounters, the treatment of suspects in detention, and the growing role of smartphones and social media in documenting interactions between law enforcement officers and members of the public.

As of the time of filing this report, the Lagos State Police Command had not publicly responded to Peller’s latest allegations regarding the conditions of his detention. His claims remain personal allegations that have not been independently verified, while the criminal charges against him and his co-defendant are still before the court.

The case is expected to resume on August 11, when the court will continue hearing the charges against the two defendants.

‘I didn’t eat or bathe for four days,’ Peller says after police detention