Renowned social activist and skit maker, Debo Adebayo, better known as Mr. Macaroni, has raised an alarming concern about the current state of civil and criminal matters in Nigeria.
According to him, political differences have blurred the lines, transforming civil issues into criminal cases.
In a passionate post on shared his X handle , on the 4th of December, 2024, Mr. Macaroni accused the police of becoming pawns in the hands of political elites, used to oppress the average Nigerian citizen.
His remarks follow the arrest of lawyer and political activist, Dele Farotimi, who was detained after a defamation petition filed by senior lawyer Afe Babalola.
Mr. Macaroni described the incident as a troubling example of what happens when civil matters are wrongly treated as criminal offenses due to political agendas.
He wrote: “Dele Farotimi wrote a book called Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, and the brazen impunity the book addresses is unfolding right before our eyes.”
He continued, asking, “How does one describe this insanity? Using the Police to abduct a person from one state to another, intimidating and harassing his staff, and seizing their phones… How many crimes are being committed here while trying to investigate whether Mr. Farotimi actually committed a crime?”
Mr. Macaroni’s anger deepened as he questioned, “For how long will the Nigerian Police continue to allow themselves to be used by the ‘High and Mighty’ to oppress Nigerians? This is what happens when we support the notion that civil matters should be treated as criminal cases because of political differences or stanship.”
He went on to criticize the system, saying, “We’ve opened the door for the rich and influential to have any Nigerian arrested by the police for something as trivial as calling out a ‘big man’s fart.’”
He lamented the widespread abuse of power, adding, “Even those who should know better now misuse power because there are no consequences. Our corrupt system allows the innocent man, who hasn’t been proven guilty, to suffer while the guilty roam free, committing even more crimes in their attempts to prove the innocent man’s guilt.”