Obaro said the latest encounter occurred on Thursday, January 29, 2026, the 29th day of his ongoing 56-day campaign, during which he runs 10 kilometres daily to raise awareness for Cerebral Palsy.
A Lagos-based charity runner, Ambassador Adjarhor David Obaro, popularly known as World Wrapperman, has alleged repeated harassment by officers of the Lagos Police Command while carrying out a long-distance awareness run for Cerebral Palsy and people with special needs.
Narrating the incident to SaharaReporters, Obaro said the latest encounter occurred on Thursday, January 29, 2026, the 29th day of his ongoing 56-day campaign, during which he runs 10 kilometres daily to raise awareness for Cerebral Palsy
According to him, the incident happened while he and his team were running from Falomo towards Freedom Park along Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.
“Yesterday was the 29th day of my running 10 kilometres daily for 56 days to create awareness for Cerebral Palsy and people with special needs,” he said.
“While we were coming from Falomo heading towards Freedom Park, along Awolowo Road, some policemen attached to the police station on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi were shouting ‘stop, stop.’”
Obaro said he initially did not realise the officers were referring to his team until they stopped and were confronted by the policemen, who allegedly ordered them to return to the police station.
“By the time we stopped, they came to us and said we must follow them back to the station. I asked why, and they said their boss was calling me,” he said.
“I asked why, and they said when I got to the station, I would explain myself and know why they were calling me.”
He said that he refused to comply, insisting that whoever wanted to see him should come to meet him at the location, as he was heading to Freedom Park, where people were already waiting for him.
Obaro said he identified himself to the officers and explained the purpose of his run.
“I introduced myself to them. I told them I am World Wrapper Man, I am a charity runner, and I am running to create awareness for Cerebral Palsy,” he said. “I told them that I started on January 1, and that yesterday was the 29th day.”
He further questioned the basis for his alleged arrest or detention.
“I told them I have not committed any crime. Why do you want to arrest me? Why are you detaining me?” he said.
During a struggle with the officers, Obaro alleged that property belonging to his team was damaged.
“In the process of them struggling with us, they broke the AI-powered glasses my teammate was wearing,” he said.
He added that the situation escalated until the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) intervened and communicated with a superior officer via radio.
According to Obaro, the superior officer instructed them to first ascertain his identity.
“At a point, the DPO came and spoke on the radio with another of their superior. The superior told them to ask me who I am,” he said.
“I told them again that I’m World Wrapper Man. I told them to search for me on Google, and they would see me and what I’m doing.”
Obaro said he repeatedly explained that the awareness message was clearly stated on his clothing.
“What I’m doing is plain. It is also written on my shirt. I’m drawing attention to Cerebral Palsy, nothing else,” he said.
Despite this, he alleged that the officers remained insistent that he must follow them to the station.
“They insisted that I must go to the station with them. They were bent on detaining me yesterday,” he said, adding that the officers eventually left without making an arrest.
He also disclosed that the Ikoyi incident was not an isolated case.
According to him, a similar confrontation occurred four days earlier at the Lekki Toll Gate while he was running along Ozumba Mbadiwe towards Lekki.
“Four days ago, at Lekki Toll Gate, when I was running on Ozumba Mbadiwe heading to Lekki, a police officer by the name Tanko Moses, with a two-star rank, threatened that he would ‘deal’ with me,” Obaro alleged. “He asked why I was carrying a Nigerian flag.”
Obaro said he explained to the officer that the Nigerian flag was part of his identity and symbolic of his campaign.
“I told him that the Nigerian flag is my symbol. I am not committing any crime by carrying the flag,” he said.
The runner called for greater understanding and support for advocacy initiatives, stressing that his campaign is purely humanitarian and aimed at promoting inclusion and awareness for people living with Cerebral Palsy and other special needs.