A Nigerian social media user has recounted how he was allegedly arrested after being invited to a meeting under the guise of a lucrative promotional deal, only to discover that the meeting was connected to a social media post he had published.

The man, identified as @hintrovertt on X (formerly Twitter), said he was excited when an individual contacted him about a long-term promotional partnership that promised substantial financial returns.

According to his account, the individual initially requested his rate card and subsequently sent him an invoice the following day without negotiating his prices.

Man receives offer for long-term promotional deal

The man explained that the proposed arrangement was presented as a long-term partnership rather than the usual payment structure for individual promotional posts or monthly advertising deals.

He said he later provided his bank details after being informed that the company would transfer the payment directly to his account.

However, two days later, the individual contacted him again, claiming that a manager wanted to meet him in person to discuss the proposed partnership.

Although the man was not living in Lagos at the time, he allegedly told the prospective client that he was in the city. He subsequently received a meeting location and attended the appointment the following day, dressed formally.

Meeting reportedly ends in arrest

According to @hintrovertt, he met the individual at the designated location and began discussing the proposed deal while ordering a milkshake after being told that the other party would cover the bill.

He claimed that four men dressed in corporate outfits subsequently approached them.

Initially believing they were members of the company’s team, he said he was surprised when they presented their identification and introduced themselves as police officers.

The man alleged that the individual who had invited him then instructed the officers to take him away.

He said he pleaded for an opportunity to make a phone call and contacted his brother, who promised to meet him at the police station.

Upon arriving at the station, he was reportedly shown the social media post that had prompted the incident.

The X user said he was surprised by the development because he did not consider the post defamatory. He alleged that the individual involved was unhappy about the criticism and negative reactions the post had generated online.

“I was asked to pay ₦3m” — Man alleges

The man claimed that he was instructed to delete the post and pay ₦3 million in damages.

According to him, his brother later arrived at the station with a lawyer, after which discussions and pleas reportedly resulted in him paying approximately ₦400,000.

Reflecting on the experience, @hintrovertt admitted that he had underestimated the people involved.

He wrote:

“I once got arrested because of a post I made on this app. I thought I was smart, but these people were actually smarter than me,”

He added that the incident had changed how he approached social media commentary, particularly campaigns targeting people he did not personally know.

“Since that day, you can never catch me running an agenda against people I don’t know,” he said.

The account has sparked conversations about freedom of expression, the potential consequences of online criticism and the importance of understanding the legal implications of social media posts.

However, the identity of the person who allegedly arranged the meeting, the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest and the claims about the payments could not be independently verified from the account provided.