ENTITLED STREET URCHINS BEGS FOR MERCY AS BRAIN JOTTER TAKES THEM ON JOLLY RIDE
Popular Nigerian comedian and skit maker, Chukwuebuka Amuzie, better known as Brain Jotter, has raised the alarm after a group of street touts allegedly harassed him while he drove through Lagos. The content creator shared his experience on Tuesday via his official Instagram page, uploading a video that showed a group of men surrounding his vehicle on a Lagos road. What was meant to be a simple drive quickly turned into an uncomfortable standoff, one that has now sparked widespread conversation online.
In the footage, the men can be seen confronting Brain Jotter, reportedly refusing to let him continue his journey until he paid them off. Rather than let him pass freely, the touts, popularly known as “agberos,” insisted on a settlement before releasing his car, essentially holding his movement hostage for cash. One of the men was even heard in the video boldly boasting, “I be lion,” a declaration that clearly struck a nerve with the comedian.
Reacting to the ordeal, Brain Jotter didn’t hold back his frustration, taking to social media with a biting, sarcastic caption. He wrote, “Lion no dey use eyes see goat. Nigerian zoo keepers are the worst. We lack good wild-life and they let a lion escape from their zoo. This is sad.bHis witty jab at the touts, comparing them to escaped wildlife, quickly caught the attention of his followers and stirred reactions across social media.
According to one commenter, the incident reportedly occurred in Bariga after a show, with the street boys said to have confronted Brain Jotter after he refused to settle them financially. This has thrown fresh light on a growing pattern of harassment targeting entertainers and motorists across various parts of Lagos, from Lekki and Ajah to Oshodi, Mushin, and Agege, with those driving nicer cars or perceived as celebrities frequently singled out as targets.
Reacting to the broader issue, Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, noted that the government has continued efforts to arrest and clear street urchins from the state, but argued that the habit of celebrities and residents handing out cash to touts only worsens the problem. According to him, such handouts breed a sense of entitlement among the touts, encouraging them to view the streets as an easy source of income, and he called for greater collective responsibility to help build a safer, more orderly Lagos.
Brain Jotter’s encounter is far from an isolated case, as it comes just days after Saltiana, popularly known as DJ Salt of Life and the younger sister of Afrobeats star Ayra Starr, made similar claims that suspected area boys vandalized her car in Lagos after mistaking her for her famous siblings.Together, these back-to-back incidents have reignited public debate over the unchecked activities of street touts in the state, with many now calling for tougher enforcement to protect residents and public figures alike from ongoing harassment and extortion on Lagos roads.