Daddy Freeze, Omotola attack Lagos Police over tattoo, dreadlocks comment
…Say, the police should undergo mental evaluation
Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja
Reactions have continued to trail comments by Lagos Police Command’s spokesperson, Bala Elkana that tattoo and dreadlocks are strange to Nigeria’s culture.
Controversial founder of Free Nation movement, Daddy Freeze and Nollywood actress and showbiz, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde while reacting to the comments Elkana’s statement reeked prejudice and stereotyping.
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.”
However, reacting to this development on his instagram poage, Freeze said that Elkana’s statement reeked prejudice and stereotyping.
“In my humble opinion, this statement reeks prejudice and stereotyping.
“By the way, my Yoruba grandmother 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.
On her part, Jalade-Ekeinde, said that the police need to undergo mental evaluation.
According to the screen goddess, the police need 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.
