Taiwo Fatola

BEING YOUNG IS NOT A CRIME: ILORIN YOUTHS CRY OUT OVER SYSTEMIC PROFILING AND DAILY EXTORTION BY POLICE OPERATIVES. Across the state capital, Ilorin, a disturbing trend has taken root where youth, neatly dressed, and with a smartphone are treated with immediate suspicion. For the young people of Ilorin, looking presentable, using an iphone, or simply walking down the street has increasingly become an invitation for unlawful stops, aggressive questioning, and financial extortion by police personnel. Key transit corridors and residential areas including Oyun, Agric, Tanke, Basin, Pipeline, Adewole, Irewolede, and Asa Dam have become hotspots where young residents are routinely flagged down and profiled without cause. Law abiding students, tech professionals, creative freelancers, and small business owners are forced to defend their earnings on the roadside, with basic possessions like an iPhone XR or decent attire treated as presumed evidence of criminal activity. This practice not only infringes on fundamental rights to free movement and dignity, but it also fosters a dangerous climate of mistrust between the public and law enforcement. Daily complaints from affected residents highlight a growing sense of siege, where young people can no longer navigate their own city without the persistent anxiety of being harassed or extorted. We humbly call on His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman @RealAARahman AbdulRazaq, CON, the Kwara State Government, and the Kwara State Police Command @TunjiDisu1 to intervene. Kwara State has continually stood out as a state of harmony, innovation, and enterprise. Ensuring that its young citizens can move freely and live with dignity is important to sustaining the state's progress and preserving public trust in law enforcement.