By Remilekun Awokoya
Nigerian comedian and activist Mr Macaroni has opened up about his frightening experience back in 2020 when he was arrested by law enforcement during the ENDSARS protests.
Speaking during his recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo on the With Chude podcast, the comic recalled his experience in the hands of the police during his detention.
“I feel I should be involved because God has given me the platform today, not to be popular, but so that I can use the platform to speak up for those that cannot speak for themselves. How can I ask others to make sacrifices that i am not willing to make,” he began.
He stressed that the popular skit he made after his release, which was based on his experience, did not scratch the surface of what he and others endured.
“Trust me, that skit does not do justice to what we went through in that place. I had to do it that way so that people could still watch; I was completely naked. These guys stripped us naked and I was molested. It was after that moment and after these guys tortured me that I saw the hate in their eyes. I saw how angry they were at me and they did. I’m sure that if I was not released, they could have done more,” he explained.
The actor added, “They were happy; it was a thing of joy for them doing that. They were like, ‘Macaroni, you’re the one who loves to talk,’ and they were mentioning names. I’m still angry at certain names, and I made these things clear.”
Mr Macaroni noted that after the experience, he became fearless and courageous in his fight against oppression and police brutality, which the ENDSARS movement was founded upon.
“It was after that experience that all the fear in me disappeared. Before that, I used to be very afraid. Now people see me and be like, ‘You’re very courageous, but I used to be scared. These people can just decide one day to kill someone,” he said.