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Nigerian Mum Cries Out For Justice After Son Was Allegedly Assaulted, Wrongly Imprisoned By America Police
A Nigerian mother, Helen Adesuwa Uzamere, has gone on Facebook to demand justice for her son with the hashtag #JusticeForSho.
She’s asking that the officers who allegedly assaulted her son, Shioma, and ”imprisoned him wrongly,” be fired for wrongful imprisonment.
According to Uzamere, her son was walking home when he saw police shoving a group of young people, including a woman. He intervened by offering to help the officers remove the woman without force but the officers turned on him, tased him three times till he became unconscious, then made false claims that he attacked an officer.
Fortunately, a video taken by eyewitnesses showed what really happened.
Sharing the video of the incident, the mum begged Nigerians to sign a petition to ask that the officers who assaulted her son be fired.
Narrating what happened, she wrote: “He was at St. Patrick’s Day event; there was a disturbance around 6:30 PM, which did not involve him or his friends, and police were called for reinforcement. He was walking home with his friends when he saw an officer shoving a group of people, which included a young woman whom he did not know. He yelled out, offering to help the officer remove the woman. She wasn’t being arrested.
“He was immediately tased, his 6ft, 5inch, 230lb frame hit the concrete pavement. As he writhed in pain, he was tased twice more, bleeding from the taser gun. He fell, unconscious, and you could hear people in the video wailing, thinking he was dead. One of the officers lodged a knee on his neck and accused him of resisting arrest as they handcuffed his immobilized body. He did not utter a word or complaint, was fully compliant, did not even demand his phone, which had now fallen. They yanked him up like a rag doll and took him into custody.
“They accused him of jumping on a police officer in a bear hug and charged him with the battery of a law enforcement officer. The officer stated that he would have used his gun but couldn’t reach it! He was also charged with resisting arrest. He faced criminal felony charges for something he DIDN’T do. My son, the upstanding, much loved, no record citizen. He was strip-searched, called him ”Nigeria” as they mocked his name, given a jumpsuit, shackled to other prisoners, and sent to prison! He would eventually walk home, feeling alone, without his support system. It took us months and thousands of dollars to fight the charges. I ran out of money, and people encouraged him to take a plea deal to save costs. We were told that over 99% of cases in Indianapolis involving poor black men end up in plea deals. They simply cannot afford to fight the system.
“My son lived to tell his story, but he, his sister, and I are no longer okay. The trauma is excruciating. Last fall, my daughter had a breakdown. She was so traumatized by the possibility of losing her role model and big brother that she was unable to cope with her studies or sit her finals. She considered withdrawing from her engineering program at Johns Hopkins University. Even though the criminal charges were dropped due to the overwhelming evidence vindicating him, we have not been the same. My son remains in his apartment, using social media as his outlet, his human interaction outside work limited to flag football, the gym, Kroger supermarket, and work-related activities. Some say he should come home, but is that the solution?”
Below is the mum’s full post.
I am not sleeping much these days, I worry about my son. I am a Christian with deep faith but cannot help wondering where he is when hours pass, and I haven’t heard from him. To avoid being a worrywart, I often ask his sister to check his Instagram account. The test is if he has posted something that day.
This was not my story until March 17, 2019. It was 10:50 AM when I settled into my seat in church. It was my mother’s 80th birthday, and I had been running around organizing a surprise event. I looked at my phone, perhaps to make sure it was off, and saw six missed calls from an Indianapolis number. My son lives in Indiana, but it was not his number. Mindful of fellow congregants, I curiously played back one of the message recordings. Heart pounding, I heard the message start with the words “an inmate at the Marion County Jail…” Was this a hoax? I had not heard from Shioma in at least 24 hours. Although this was not unusual, it occurred to me that I hadn’t received the video tribute for his grandma. He is very dependable. I ran out of the church, trying to maintain my dignity as I wobbled in my six-inch heels. It felt as though my body was drained of blood. I was in a panic. Was my son dead? Jail? Collect Call? Indianapolis?
He had been arrested the previous day. He was in custody and was not allowed a phone call until the following morning. His phone had been taken from him, and he had only memorized two numbers – mine and that of his grandmother. Grandma hardly knows when her phone rings, and Mommy was running around, trying to prep for a party. He had called me SIX times! His voice was progressively sadder on each recording. He could not reach anyone; he had never committed his sister’s number to memory.
Shioma’s dad and I split when he was three. Many told me to let his dad raise him as women are “not role models” for male children. I refused and began bagging degrees and certifications to afford him the best schools in affluent white English neighborhoods. His grades were inconsistent and frustrated me, but he had a natural ability in sports. From the age of six, Shioma won medals, often gold, in 100m, 200m, high jump, and long jump. He was a striker and broke school records in soccer. He even played cricket and rugby, but I could not get him to do his homework with the same dedication. When I decided to relocate to the US, I enticed him with the possibility of playing basketball professionally. That did not work out, but he got full tuition to jump for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. When he announced that he wanted to pursue his Masters in Sports Management, I nearly fell off my chair. I assumed he would be content with his undergrad, but on the contrary, he is motivated by his grandma and me, both with doctoral degrees.
With another opportunity of fully sponsored tuition, he coached younger athletes. He set up a charity to help kids gain athletic scholarships by offering free coaching – a way to pay it forward. He won accolades, and just before completing his program announced that he had an all-expense-paid interview with his target organization, USA Track, and Field, headquartered in Indiana. I didn’t know where Indiana was. I had hoped he would return home to New York – weren’t Maryland and Massachusetts far enough? I couldn’t fathom daily life without my rock within easy reach. I hoped he would not get the job, but of course, he did. So I let him go, shipped his car, went with him, found him an exclusive apartment right in the city, met with his colleagues and workmates, prayed over him, and returned home.
When he told me his version of the events that led him to prison, I did not believe him. After all, I hear these stories all the time on television. I immediately thought there was something he was not telling me. Was this the same son who had never gotten into trouble, not even during his teenage years? Parents, teachers, strangers would write to me about his upstanding character and charm – the social butterfly who turned any room into a bubbling event, the kid with a natural ability to charm everyone – young and old. What changed in the year since he had relocated? It would take video evidence for me to believe my son – a video that was accidentally recorded.
He was at St. Patrick’s Day event; there was a disturbance around 6:30 PM, which did not involve him or his friends, and police were called for reinforcement. He was walking home with his friends when he saw an officer shoving a group of people, which included a young woman whom he did not know. He yelled out, offering to help the officer remove the woman. She wasn’t being arrested. He was immediately tased, his 6ft, 5inch, 230lb frame hit the concrete pavement. As he writhed in pain, he was tased twice more, bleeding from the taser gun. He fell, unconscious, and you could hear people in the video wailing, thinking he was dead. One of the officers lodged a knee on his neck and accused him of resisting arrest as they handcuffed his immobilized body. He did not utter a word or complaint, was fully compliant, did not even demand his phone, which had now fallen. They yanked him up like a rag doll and took him into custody. They accused him of jumping on a police officer in a bear hug and charged him with the battery of a law enforcement officer. The officer stated that he would have used his gun but couldn’t reach it! He was also charged with resisting arrest. He faced criminal felony charges for something he DIDN’T do. My son, the upstanding, much loved, no record citizen. He was strip-searched, called him ”Nigeria” as they mocked his name, given a jumpsuit, shackled to other prisoners, and sent to prison! He would eventually walk home, feeling alone, without his support system. It took us months and thousands of dollars to fight the charges. I ran out of money, and people encouraged him to take a plea deal to save costs. We were told that over 99% of cases in Indianapolis involving poor black men end up in plea deals. They simply cannot afford to fight the system.
My son lived to tell his story, but he, his sister, and I are no longer okay. The trauma is excruciating. Last fall, my daughter had a breakdown. She was so traumatized by the possibility of losing her role model and big brother that she was unable to cope with her studies or sit her finals. She considered withdrawing from her engineering program at Johns Hopkins University. Even though the criminal charges were dropped due to the overwhelming evidence vindicating him, we have not been the same. My son remains in his apartment, using social media as his outlet, his human interaction outside work limited to flag football, the gym, Kroger supermarket, and work-related activities. Some say he should come home, but is that the solution?
Please help us get closure. While we are thankful he did not suffer a worse fate, we feel our experience is important. Help give our story voice and sign the petition to rid the police force of corrupt cops. His ordeal should count for something. We do not need to wait for our sons to die. Shioma does not need to feel guilty for living to tell his story. Attorneys only want cases involving death or severe injury. The criminal justice system is broken. Please help us with the campaign. The goal is 500,000 signatures. Help buy me some more sleep at night.
The trial of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, continued on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with detailed testimonies from the third and second prosecution witnesses, shedding light on alleged complex cash movements and bank transactions running into billions of naira.
Emefiele is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an eight-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery and unlawful possession of properties suspected to be proceeds of crime to the tune of ₦7,831,002,396.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness, Prosecution Witness 3, PW3, Richard Agulu, a staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, told the court that he joined the Commission in 2023 after working with Zenith Bank from July 2007 to March 2023. He said he served in the Maitama branch of the bank and some others.
Agulu recalled that while he was at Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia was the Managing Director before Godwin Emefiele took over the position. According to him, Emefiele regularly visited the Abuja branches and left Zenith Bank in 2014 when he was appointed Governor of the CBN.
The witness also told the court that he knew one Eric Ocheme, who was a staff of Zenith Bank before moving to the Central Bank of Nigeria to work as Emefiele’s personal assistant.
Explaining the nature of his dealings with the defendant, PW3 said that while at Zenith Bank, staff salaries and entitlements were paid through accounts domiciled with the bank. He added that, in the course of his duties, transactions occurred involving Emefiele and Eric.
“My Lord, Mr. Eric, as the personal assistant to the defendant, used to run errands for him. On the defendant’s instruction, I used to receive cash from Eric and disburse same when needed,” he testified.
According to PW3, the cash he received was either warehoused in the bank’s vault or deposited into certain accounts. When asked on whose behalf he received the funds, he stated clearly that he received the cash on behalf of the defendant, Godwin Emefiele.
Although he acknowledged that Emefiele had an account with Zenith Bank, PW3 said the funds were not paid into the defendant’s personal account but were kept and disbursed strictly based on instructions conveyed through Eric.
PW3 was shown Exhibits B, C and D and identified Exhibit B as the account of Ifeabigo Integrated Services. He told the court that the account belonged to a friend of his, Mr. Peters Adebayo, a businessman involved in construction, agency and merchandising, who resides in Abuja.
The witness said that between 2020 and 2022, he lodged several sums into the Ifeabigo Integrated Services account using funds he received from Eric on behalf of the defendant. He then proceeded to analyse the transactions in chronological order.
According to him, on February 3, 2021, two transfers of ₦20 million and ₦30 million, totaling ₦50 million, were paid into the account. This was followed by a ₦25 million transfer on February 24, 2021.
On March 4, 2021, PW3 said he personally deposited ₦19 million and ₦12.5 million in cash. On March 9, 2021, further deposits of ₦14 million and ₦9 million were made. On March 31, 2021, ₦50 million was received by transfer, while an additional ₦30 million was deposited in cash on the same day.
He told the court that on April 15, 2021, ₦24 million was deposited in cash, while on April 21, 2021, two transfers of ₦99 million each were credited into the account. On May 10, 2021, ₦19 million and ₦13 million were deposited, and on June 17, 2021, a transfer of ₦72 million was received.
The witness testified that on June 28, 2021, multiple deposits totaling ₦60 million were made, followed by a cash deposit of ₦50 million on July 1, 2021. On July 12, 2021, two cash deposits of ₦100 million and ₦70 million were lodged, while a transfer of ₦99 million followed on July 14, 2021.
According to the witness, on August 18, 2021, he deposited ₦40 million and ₦45 million in cash. On August 25, 2021, eight deposits were made into the account, comprising six deposits of ₦50 million each, as well as ₦25 million and ₦5 million.
PW3 told the court that on the same August 25, 2021, acting on instructions from the defendant through Eric, he transferred ₦600 million and ₦300 million from the Ifeabigo Integrated Services account to MG Properties Limited.
He further identified Exhibit C as the account of Kelvito Integrated Services and said that ₦700 million was transferred from that account to MG Properties Limited on the same day.
In his words, “I transferred a total sum of ₦1.6 billion to MG Properties Limited on the defendant’s instruction through Mr. Eric.”
He added that additional transfers of ₦90 million, ₦85 million and ₦50 million were received into the account on August 25, 2021, while on August 30, 2021, three deposits of ₦50 million, ₦60 million and ₦50 million were made.
PW3 further testified that on September 2, 2021, four transfers of ₦92 million, ₦91 million, ₦93 million and ₦24 million were received into the account from Ace Frozen Foods Ventures. On the same day, he said there were structured cash withdrawals involving 22 withdrawals of ₦10 million each and one withdrawal of ₦5 million.
“Mr. Eric came to pick the cash, and I made the withdrawals for him,” he said.
According to PW3, deposits and transfers continued through October, November and December 2021 and into January 2022, involving repeated cash lodgments and account-to-account transfers, all of which he said he carried out on behalf of the defendant through Eric.
He explained that during some of the deposits, he instructed bank staff to use the narration “CD/Peter Adebayo,” being the name of the account signatory, to reflect the lodgments.
PW3 also told the court that similar cash transactions occurred in Exhibit C, the Kelvito Integrated Services account, including multiple cash deposits on August 25, 2021, and the ₦700 million transfer to MG Properties Limited.
Asked what the ₦1.6 billion transferred to MG Properties was meant for, the witness said he did not know the purpose of the payment at the time.
He further disclosed that he was invited and questioned by the EFCC over the transactions.
“I was confronted with these transfers by the EFCC, and I confirmed that I was instructed to make the transfers to MG Properties by Eric on behalf of the defendant. I do not know the purpose of the transfers,” he said.
Under cross-examination, PW3 confirmed that he worked in the banking sector for 17 years and agreed that only account holders or authorised signatories could lawfully approve withdrawals. He added that, in the transactions he described, the owners and signatories to the accounts authenticated the withdrawals.
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution also called Olomotam Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, as Prosecution Witness 2 (PW2).
Egoro told the court that he joined Access Bank in May 2020 and that his duties include handling regulatory enquiries and liaising with law enforcement agencies. He testified that sometime in June 2025, Access Bank received a request letter from the EFCC concerning the account of Ace Frozen Foods Ventures.
According to him, the EFCC requested the customer’s account details, mandate, statement of account from inception to May 2025 and a certificate of identification. He said his team processed the request by retrieving the account information from the bank’s system and responded formally to the EFCC.
PW2 identified the bank’s response dated May 29, 2025, which was tendered and admitted in evidence as Exhibit E. Under cross-examination, he confirmed that the name of the defendant did not appear anywhere in the documents.
He further told the court that the mandate holders of the Ace Frozen Foods Ventures account were Kamaru Lasisi and Raphael Ibhafidon Uguomore, adding that the documents did not disclose the individual owners of the company.
Justice Halilu thereafter adjourned the matter to February 16, 2026, for continuation of trial and further cross-examination.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have released Ogun State-based pastor Kayode Olawoye and two of his associates, Johnson Idowu and Korede Oluwadare, following intense public outcry.
Olawoye became an internet sensation following his exposé on the poor state of some roads in Ogun State, which he had repeatedly drawn to the attention of the state government.
A family source close to Olawoye confirmed his release in a telephone conversation with PUNCH Metro on Tuesday.
In an earlier interview with our correspondent, Olawoye’s family had raised concerns over his detention after he was allegedly invited by the DSS.
Speaking with PUNCH correspondent earlier on Tuesday, Olawoye’s wife, Shola Olawoye, said her husband received a phone call from the DSS on Sunday evening, asking him to report to its Ogun State office by 2 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026.
According to her, the officials described the invitation as a “friendly interrogation visit,” assuring him that it was nothing serious.
She said Olawoye arrived at the DSS office at about 1:30 p.m. on Monday but was held without family members having access to him, adding that several efforts made to reach him proved abortive.
She also noted that two other associates, Benjamin Olaleye and Joshua, who accompanied him to the DSS office, were also detained.
“I have not been able to speak with him since he entered the office. I don’t know his condition—whether he has eaten or even taken water. The people who went with him also had their phones seized, and we have not heard from any of them,” she said.
Shola said that while she was at the DSS office to inquire about her husband’s welfare, she was told to leave and return later, with assurances that he would be released after questioning.
She added that she waited until late Monday night and into Tuesday morning without receiving any update on his status, adding that the detention may be linked to his continued advocacy for the improvement of road infrastructure across the state.
She continued, “This is a man who is fighting for grassroots governance. He is not a criminal. He is not fighting or abusing the governor. He is not anti-politics, anti-peace, or protesting. He is simply saying, ‘Our governor should fulfil his campaign promises.’ That is all he is doing, and I don’t understand when being civil became a crime in my state.
“I do not know when being civil and asking for your rights turned into a criminal offence. He has been detained as if he were a criminal. Bandits are on TikTok and everywhere, yet the DSS has not detained any of them.
But they have detained my husband since yesterday. It has been almost 24 hours now, and I have not heard anything from him. I need the help of the whole of Nigeria.”
Another family member, who did not want to be named, explained that Olawoye had been invited on two occasions in the past and had always honoured the invitations.
The family source said this was the third time Olawoye had been invited by the DSS, adding that during previous visits, he was questioned about his public commentary on the condition of roads in Ogun State.
The source alleged that DSS officials had repeatedly asked whether he was sponsored to publicise poor road infrastructure in the state, an allegation Olawoye denied, maintaining that he had no sponsor.
“The first time he was invited, I was with him at the meeting. They asked who was sponsoring him to showcase the bad roads that Governor Dapo is not fixing. He replied that nobody was sponsoring him and that he was instructed by God to speak out about the bad roads so that the governor would fix them.
“The second time, they asked him the same question again—that he should name the people sponsoring him. He told them nobody was sponsoring him,” the family member said.
The news of his detention, however, sparked public outcry, with social media users condemning the action.
Reacting to the detention, Amnesty International Nigeria, condemned Olawoye’s detention in a statement on Tuesday.
The human rights advocacy group described the detention as unlawful and abuse of human rights.
The statement read, “The Nigerian authorities must end the incessant intimidation and harassment of Pastor Kayode Olawoye — a cleric widely known for advocating for better road infrastructure in Ogun State.
“Subjecting such a peaceful advocate for good governance to bizarre intimidation by the Department Of State Services is unlawful. The advocacy of Pastor Kayode is justified given the shocking and deplorable state of roads in Ogun — his state. Criticizing Gov. Dapo Abiodun is not crime.
“The authorities have an obligation to uphold and protect fundamental human rights. Instead of investing in desperate attempts to punish activists, the government should be listening to them and doing more to addressing people’s concerns.”
In an update on Tuesday night, the family source told our correspondent that Olawoye and the two associates who were with him had been released.
The source said, “Mr Olawoye and the two associates have been released. They were freed on Tuesday night after more than 24 hours in detention.”
Meanwhile, when contacted on Tuesday, the State Director of the DSS in Ogun State, Peter Afunanya, did not respond to messages sent to his line, nor did he pick calls placed to him as of the time of filing this report.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, asked our correspondent to call back when contacted on Tuesday.
He was, however, not reachable as of the time of filing this report.
Nigeria’s retail lender, Unity Bank Plc, has launched an upgraded version of its mobile banking platform, Unifi, as part of ongoing efforts to improve customer experience on the Bank’s digital Banking platform and reinforce its proposition in ebusiness.
The latest update, Unifi version 2.3, introduces a suite of improved features designed to enhance usability, security, and convenience for customers. Key upgrades include enhanced security protocols, expanded quick-action functionalities, improved bill payment options, and an updated Nigeria Quick Response (NQR) feature to support faster and more secure QR code transactions.
A key aspect of the rollout builds on the Bank’s continued investment in digital and security infrastructure, aimed at safeguarding customer data, ensuring secure payments and enabling safe, real-time transactions across channels.
Speaking on the upgrade, Adenike Abimbola, Divisional Head, Retail, SME, Digital Banking & Fintech Partnerships at Unity Bank, said the improvements are built on the back of continuous interrogation of the platform to be more responsive to customer feedbacks which are being received overtime in our interactions and engagements.
“Digital banking has become an integral part of everyday life, particularly for retail customers who expect speed, dependability, convenience, and security as standard. With the latest upgrade to Unifi, we are responding directly to these expectations by enhancing functionality, strengthening security, and simplifying key payment and transaction journeys. Our goal is to ensure that customers can carry out their banking activities seamlessly, confidently, and without friction, anytime and anywhere.”
She added that the Bank remains committed to continuous improvement of its digital channels in line with evolving customer needs and emerging industry trends.
“As mobile banking increasingly defines how people interact with financial services, Unifi is central to our strategy of delivering intuitive, reliable, and inclusive digital solutions. We will continue to invest in technology partnerships and platform enhancements that support financial inclusion, drive adoption, and improve overall customer experience.”
Originally introduced as part of Unity Bank’s strategic push to expand its retail footprint, particularly among young and digitally savvy customers, Unifi has grown into a core engine of the Bank’s retail banking expansion. The platform plays a critical role in driving customer acquisition, deepening engagement, and reinforcing Unity Bank’s broader digital transformation agenda.
The Unifi mobile app is available for download on Android and iOS devices, offering customers access to a wide range of services, including transfers, bill payments, airtime purchases, and QR-enabled transactions.
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