Michael Stephens, better known as Ruggedman on Sunday explained why he is always at loggerhead with operatives of the Nigerian Police.
This is just as the rapper-turned-activist told Sunday Scoop in an Interview that his strong position on certain controversial issues has exposed him to danger in recent times.
One of such dangers, according to him, was occasional confrontations with policemen who he inevitably meets during protests on human rights violations.
The Abia State-born musician stated the worst experience he had was when he got attacked in a London restaurant.
He remarked that the incident made him to be more security conscious.
“The worst that has ever happened to me since I started activism was when I was attacked at a restaurant in London in 2019. Aside from that, I have not had any altercation with anyone, not even the police. I did not go after them because I could not see their faces. Their faces were covered with the hoods they wore and even the CCTV at the restaurant could not ‘pick’ their faces. I believe they were a bunch of misguided youths.
“I don’t crawl at night, especially after 12 am, because I would not like to be accosted by any policeman that I might have called out in the past for extorting Nigerians. As a form of revenge, he could try to parade me half-naked as a form of revenge.
“I have really been trying to live a normal life, even though we all know that life in Nigeria is not normal. Nobody funds me for fighting for justice. I do everything from my pocket. If the Police do well, I will celebrate them and if it is the other way, I will speak out against them,” he said.
