Photo Of Nigerian Woman, Sarah Soyemi Brutalized By Canadian Police Officers Outside Mall

A London, Ontario based Nigerian woman who was selling detox tea outside White Oaks Mall says a police officer grabbed her without explanation and another officer punched her, leaving her with a black eye, before she was charged with various offences.

Sarah Soyemi, 36, was charged last week with failing to leave the premises when directed, resisting arrest and assaulting a peace officer.
“It’s just been a lot. It’s so unbelievable,” said Soyemi, a single mother of twin boys.

She posted about the incident on social media, and it has been viewed and shared thousands of times.

On Thursday, the London Police Service (LPS) said it is conducting an internal review to understand what happened.

“While we disagree with some of the particulars of how this interaction has been described, the LPS takes all allegations of this nature very seriously, and as such the chief has directed that a reviewoff this incident be conducted,” Const. Sandasha Bough wrote in an email.

A London police news release issued May 11, a day after the incident, says an officer had approached the woman and she “refused to leave when directed. When the officer advised the woman that she was under arrest for trespassing, she resisted arrest and became combative with police.”

The release says more officers were dispatched to help, and at that time “the suspect continued to assault the officer and resist arrest.”
“Both the officer and the suspect sustained minor injuries,” it says.

‘Don’t touch me,’ Soyemi says she told police

According to Soyemi, she was in the White Oaks Mall parking lot talking to people about the tea she sells as an independent contractor when she was approached by a security guard.

Soyemi said she told the guard she planned to leave within an hour.

“Because I’m still new here in London, I haven’t met a lot of people and I usually go to the mall where people leave their homes and go,” said Soyemi, who moved from Toronto to London six months ago.

She left Nigeria in 2018, and said she supports her family with her tea sales and money from the Ontario Works program.

Soyemi said that when a police van pulled up alongside her, she didn’t realize it was for her.

“The female officer came out of the van and charged at me. She didn’t have any conversation, I didn’t get to see who she was — she just came right out of the van and tried to hold on to me.”[/b]

Soyemi said she stepped back and yelled to the officer, "Don’t touch me. I didn’t do anything so why are you coming to touch me?’

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Posted: at 4-06-2022 03:35 PM (1 year ago) | Addicted Hero

Useless Nigerian! O pe kiwon to fo oju e! Just the same way you idiots desecrate and constitute nuisance in Nigeria, turn every street where others have invested heavily into hawking streets...No decency, no pride. Useless person, you should be sent back to the zoo that you came from so that you can go to Banana Island and hawk poffpoff!

Posted: at 4-06-2022 05:12 PM (1 year ago) | Gistmaniac

The way some people speak just said it all about their personality and character! These comments here is just like same comment some people make blaming a rape victim, this tiny harmless looking woman poses no threat whatsoever to the security team for them to have used force on her punching her and leaving her with such pains there's no reason why they would have manhandled her except ruthlessness on their own part . Even if the lady was aggressive like they claimed they would have easily arrested her without inflicting injuries on her. She deserves justice period! As for those spilling their guts against the poor lady, Its unfortunate that the endless injustice and corruption we Africans were born into have clouded ur sense of fairness leaving u with emotionally bankruptcy but it's ur choice anyway cos even though Africans are robbed psychologically emotionally otherwise I refuse to be a victim of austerity! Wrong is wrong right is right PERIOD!

Posted: at 4-06-2022 06:42 PM (1 year ago) | Gistmaniac

@samybrowne summarized it, it is pertinent on most Nigerians to have the audacity to do what they are asked not to do. When you get to another country, respect their people, their laws. If this is the way all the people she met in that country harrasses others peddling tea in their cars, what do you think would have happened by now..they set the standard on how to live their lives, you shape in or shape out! It is not Nigeria!

Posted: at 5-06-2022 12:18 AM (1 year ago) | Gistmaniac

Thank you for your reasonable comment. It shows you are from a responsible family.

Posted: at 5-06-2022 02:50 PM (1 year ago) | Gistmaniac