Former Big Brother Naija star Leo Da Silva has sparked a public debate with the Nigeria Police over strategies to tackle the rising “one chance” scams, which involve street-level fraud and petty crimes across major Nigerian cities.

On Sunday, Leo Da Silva took to X to express frustration with the current police deployment strategies, questioning the effectiveness of roadside checkpoints. He suggested that police efforts would be better focused on bus stops, where “one chance” operators are most active.

“Nothing pisses me off more than ‘one chance.’ It’s like mini kidnapping, mini banditry. Instead of police mounting useless checkpoints, why not go to bus stops and apprehend these operators?” he tweeted.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, responded, emphasizing the need to balance enforcement with protecting citizens from harassment.

“I am sure you would come back to complain of police harassment, profiling, and unnecessary delays at bus stops. There are smarter ways. Let us start by implementing 24/7 CCTV coverage at all bus stops. While we don’t install them ourselves, this will greatly aid policing,” Hundeyin said, advocating for technological solutions.

Leo Da Silva clarified that his concern was prioritizing police manpower toward directly addressing criminal activity rather than maintaining traditional checkpoints.

“I don’t know what your first sentence means, but it’s a valid complaint. Instead of unnecessary checkpoints, why not focus on catching one chance operators? Use that manpower to tackle the problem in Abuja and Lagos, especially,” he wrote.