Long a target of police brutality, Nigerian tech fights back

A file photo of people being detained by police in Lagos, Nigeria. While police corruption is endemic in Nigeria, members of the country’s tech industry have complained that they have suffered more than most. — Reuters

Last year, Aubrey Hruby took two Egyptian venture capitalists on a tour of Nigeria’s technology-startup scene. After five days of meetings with top entrepreneurs, she was convinced the expedition was a success.

Hruby, co-founder of Tofino Capital, a US fund that specialises in tech firms in emerging markets, hired a driver to take the two visitors back to Lagos airport. Their car got pulled over by police, on grounds of turning without a signal. A second Uber ride was also stopped, and this time the officials accused the investors of being terrorists. Going through their suitcases, they found US$1,000 in cash and refused to hand it back.