Nollywood actress Laide Bakare has denied allegations by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) that she stopped in transit for allegedly contravening traffic laws.
The actress defended herself in an interview on Classic FM 97.3 on Sunday evening, following a widely publicised incident at the Ikorodu/Mile 12 axis of Lagos.
In a video shared on her Instagram handle, Bakare explained, "I was in my car with someone driving me home Sunday evening. I was seriously traumatised and couldn't drive anymore. When I heard @classicfm973 discussing my police experience, I decided to drive straight to the studio."
Laide insisted that she was not driving on the BRT lane as claimed by the Police. "Immediately I descended on the Mile 12 bridge, I kept to the last right lane because I know it can be very tricky. Even if you give me money to come and shoot in Ikorodu, I won't take it. I stopped working in Ikorodu because there are so many lanes there that you might not know which one is BRT," she said.
When asked if she had been contacted by the Lagos State Police Command, Laide responded, "No, and Benjamin Hundeyin is a disappointment to Nigerians. He can't tell me he hasn't received feedback from that area where a lot of people have been robbed by these men."
Laide also said that she had to pay ₦70,000 before her car was released and mentioned that the receipt was available online. "They recorded a video, and I have a video too. Let's bring it out for evaluation," she added.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The actress questioned Lagos State Police Comman's spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin's transparency and judgement, asking, "So the Mr. Hundeyin that is talking, has he seen the video? Can he truly tell Nigerians that he has watched the video and made interrogations before saying that I contravened traffic laws?"
LEADERSHIP recalls that the controversy began on Friday when Laide accused the Nigerian Police of brutalising her and traumatising her daughter. She shared a video with her daughter, alleging mistreatment by an officer of the Nigeria Police Force.
Laide recounted that she was driving along the Ikorodu-Mile 12 axis on June 21 when she was stopped by police officers for allegedly driving on the BRT lane.
In response, the Lagos State Police Command, through its spokesperson SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated in a post on X that, "You were stopped for contravening traffic laws by driving on the BRT lane but chose to create a scene."
