Popular Nigerian streamer and TikTok sensation Habeeb Hamzat, widely known by his stage name Peller, has finally spoken out following a turbulent four-day stay in police detention.
The 20-year-old influencer’s ordeal began on Friday, July 3, 2026, when he was pulled over by police officers along the Coastal Road in Lekki, Lagos, over allegations that his vehicle was being driven without a number plate.
According to reports, Peller explained to officers that he had only recently purchased the car, but they declined to accept the explanation and asked him to follow them to the station.
Tensions reportedly escalated when Peller began filming the exchange on his phone, and he has alleged that one of the officers grew aggressive, grabbing his shirt and pointing a gun at him.
He was subsequently taken into custody and later transferred from the Lekki Police Division to the Ikeja Police Station, where he spent the weekend in detention before being arraigned.
On Tuesday, July 7, Peller, alongside a co-defendant, Bello Oladipo, was arraigned before a Lagos State Magistrate’s Court on three counts: conspiracy to commit a felony, conduct likely to cause a breach of the public peace, and obstruction of police officers in the discharge of their duties.
The court granted the pair bail for ₦500,000 each, with conditions that included two sureties per defendant, with at least one required to be a blood relative, and both sureties mandated to provide tax clearance certificates covering the previous two financial years.
Breaking his silence for the first time since his release, an emotional but visibly relieved Peller took to Snapchat to recount his experience behind bars, explaining why he had yet to resume his usual livestreaming activities.
“I didn’t bathe or eat for four days. I can’t show my face yet because I look ugly. It has never happened to me before in my life,” he told fans, injecting a touch of dark humor into an otherwise distressing account.
He went on to describe an almost surreal moment inside the cell, recalling that other detainees jokingly anointed him “001,” cell block slang suggesting top-ranking status, a moment he says left him bursting into laughter despite his exhaustion and hunger. “They wanted to wreck me, but God saved me,” he added, striking a note of gratitude amid the hardship.
The incident and Peller’s detention triggered a wave of reaction online, with fans and fellow entertainers, including content creator Tunde Perry, publicly questioning the conduct of the officers involved and calling for his release. The case has reignited broader conversations in Nigeria around police treatment of young content creators and the use of force during routine traffic stops.
The Lagos State Police Command, through spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the arrest and arraignment but has not issued a detailed public statement addressing Peller’s specific allegations of mistreatment.
Peller is expected to return to court on an adjourned date as the case proceeds. For now, he remains out of the public eye, telling fans he needs time to recover before returning to his regular streams.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Peller’s four-day detention over a routine traffic stop that escalated into allegations of police aggression, including a gun being pointed at him, has spotlighted growing concerns over how Nigerian law enforcement handles encounters with young content creators.
While he’s now out on ₦500,000 bail facing three charges, what began as a dispute over a tinted, plate-less vehicle spiraled into days without food or water, underscoring ongoing tensions between police conduct and citizens’ rights; the case is still unfolding in court.
