Nigerian TikToker and streamer, Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, has opened up about his harrowing four-day stint in police detention, revealing he neither ate nor bathed for most of the time he spent in custody.

The 21-year-old content creator was arrested on Friday, July 3, in the Lekki area of Lagos, following a confrontation with police officers over a tinted vehicle without a number plate.

Peller had earlier appeared in a viral video accusing the officers of harassment, alleging that they pulled his shirt and pointed a gun at his head during the confrontation, even as he insisted he had only just purchased the car and was still processing its documents.

He was later moved to the Ikeja Police Station, where he remained in custody until his arraignment.

Taking to Snapchat shortly after his release, Peller described the ordeal as unlike anything he had experienced in his life, saying he had gone days without food, water or the chance to clean up.

He said fellow inmates recognised him during his time in the cell and jokingly nicknamed him “001,” an experience he said briefly lightened the mood even as he otherwise kept to himself throughout the detention.

He also joked about how rough the experience had left him looking, saying he was not yet ready to show his face publicly.

Peller was arraigned on Tuesday alongside his friend Bello Oladipo before a Lagos Magistrates’ Court on a three-count charge bordering on obstructing police officers, conspiracy to commit a felony, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace. The court granted him bail in the sum of ₦500,000, paving the way for his release after four days behind bars.

Reflecting on the experience, Peller said it had left him more cautious going forward, adding that his focus now is on staying out of trouble as he prepares for his upcoming wedding.

His arrest had earlier sparked the hashtag #FreePeller online over the weekend, with fans and fellow creators calling for his release, while the case has reignited broader conversations around police conduct and due process in dealings with young Nigerians.

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