Afrobeat artiste, Seun Kuti, has been arrested by the Lagos State police command and taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti for slapping a police man.
Spokesman for the command, Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin disclosed the arrest in an official statement on his Twitter handle.
In the release entitled ‘Serious assault on police officer: Seun Kuti turns self in’, Hundeyin said the musician was arrested in the early hours of today (Monday) when he turned himself in at the command headquarters, Ikeja, in the company of his lawyer and family representative.
“Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, in the early hours of today turned himself in at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, in company of his lawyer and family representative. He has been placed under arrest in line with the law.
“The Command appreciates the public for their concern and assures that the ongoing investigation will be detailed, transparent, professionally pursued; and justice will be manifestly served for all parties involved,” the statement read.
NewsGazette gathered that the musician was accompanied by a lawyer representing Falana and Falana Chambers, the law firm of human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana.
Recall that the inspector-general of police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, had ordered Kuti’s arrest following his clash with a lone police officer on the 3rd Mainland Bridge last weekend.
The order was in reaction to a video that went viral, where Kuti was seen pushing and slapping the policeman whose identity was yet to be ascertained.
A 12-second video clip which went viral on Saturday (yesterday) showed Kuti, who wore a red shirt and white pair of trousers, pushing a policeman, who stood beside a Toyota Hilux police van.
He then proceeded to slap the policeman as he shouted, “You dey craze, you dey mad?”
A motorist, who filmed the incident from his car, was heard saying, “Omo na Kuti o. Na better news be this o.”
